Dogs and Roses
by Needs a better username
Summary: When Ruby literally runs into someone during her first year at Beacon, she quickly becomes fascinated by him. Why can't she stop thinking about him? What secrets does he hold? What will happen between them? Join them as they go through Beacon, beyond, fighting Grimm, fighting criminals, as well as the emergence of a few new threats later on. Formerly called "A Rose's New Companion"
1. First meetings

**Hello, fanfiction! I have come to bring you another story! Now that I have one story under my belt, I hope I can do another one just as good, if not better. Before I get to it, I want to introduce you to my new OC. I'll keep this brief, last time, I got some crap about my OC introduction being too long.**

 **Name: Petey Lucenay**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Age: 17**

 **Height: 5'7" (5 inches taller than Ruby)**

 **Weapon: A long handled peasant flail. A staff connected by a chain to a spiked club-like striking end. The chain can extend up to 10 feet, and the staff doubles as a standard semi-automatic rifle. I have yet to think of a name for it, so if you have a suggestion, leave it in a review or a PM.**

 **Semblance: Superhuman jumping ability. He can leap over 500 feet in the air, as well as leap off multiple surfaces in a row.**

 **Appearance: He is lean, is neither muscular nor chubby. He has a black ring tattooed around his left eye. He wears a baseball cap most of the time. He also wears a sling on his back to cradle the spiked part of his weapon.**

 **Personality: Studious, calm, well read, and tends to speak eloquently. But in prolonged combat, tends to lose self control and fight viciously.**

 **Other notes: I decided to name him after my pet dog, who in turn, we named after the dog from an old TV show called** _ **The Little Rascals.**_ **His last name comes from Lt. Harry Lucenay, the trainer/owner of the original Petey.**

 **With that out of the way, let's get it started in here!**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _set 12 years before RWBY volume 1_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

* * *

 _"Mommy!"_

 _"Yes Ruby, dear, what is it?"_

 _"Can 'ou pway wit me?"_

 _My mommy is da bestest mommy in da world! She makes da bestest cookies and is so nice and sweet. I like it when she plays wit me!_

 _"I'm afraid not, Ruby. I'm… busy studying Grimm."_

 _Awww. I hates it when mommy is busy wit da Grimm._

 _" Why don't you play with your sister, Yang? If you go now, I'll make you some cookies after dinner."_

 _Yummy! Cookies! I want cookies!_

 _"'K, mommy. I wuv 'ou!"_

 _"I know, Ruby. I know."_

 _"I wuv 'ou, vewy muc…"_

* * *

 _*Bell ringing*_

Huh? What? What happened, where am I? Oh, I'm in Oobleck's class. I must have fallen asleep again. Oops. At least I'm not the only one. Yang seems to be just waking up as well. At least I had another pretty dream. I miss mom, I really do. Hopefully I can be a great huntress like she was.

"And that concludes this lecture on the Faunus War. Please enjoy the rest of you day, students. Mr. Arc, Mr. Winchester, don't forget that I would like to speak with you both."

I wonder what Jaune and Cardin did earlier. Maybe falling asleep wasn't the best idea in the world. Maybe…

* _ **crash**_ *

"OW!"

Who did I crash into? Oh I hope it wasn't Weiss. I cant take another round of her being crabby. I still don't think she's really done being upset that I was chosen as leader of Team RWBY.

"I'm so sorry! I was not paying attention to where I was going. May I assist you?"

That doesn't sound like Weiss. It sounds like, a boy.

"Uh, sure. Thanks."

He seems nice. And friendly.

"Thank you mister… uhh."

"Oh, forgive me, for not introducing myself, Madame. I am Petey Lucenay. First year student and leader of team PRTI ( **A/N: Pronounced 'party'** ). It's a pleasure to meet you."

He also seems polite. I like that, I don't see that in a guy too much. At least not here in Beacon. A lot of the guys are big jerk faces! I'm looking at you, Cardin, you bully!

"Now tell me, whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet! How silly of me! Whoopies.

"Oh, um, sorry. I'm Ruby Rose. Also a first year, and leader of Team RWBY."

"Forgive me for saying so, Miss Rose, but aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon Academy?"

Why do I always get these kind of comments? Is it so hard to believe that someone could skip a couple years and get into Beacon this early?

"Well, Ozpin let me in 2 years early, because I'm just that awesome!"

"Really now? You must have exceptional skill to have advanced 2 whole years. I hope to see that skill of yours some day soon, Miss Rose."

I wonder why he thinks he needs to be so formal, Maybe that's how his parents raised him.

"You can just call me Ruby, Y'know, if you want."

Why do I feel so shy? I never was good at meeting new people, but now, I feel even more awkward than usual.

"Very well then, Ruby. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope that we may converse again on a later day. But for now, I must return to my team dorm. Farewell, Ruby."

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

What a charming young woman. I feel as though she is quite shy, sadly. Must be poor social skills. Poor thing. I hope that her time here shall cure her of her shyness. No matter, I'm sure that she shall find a way to cope as her time at Beacon goes on. She must have considerable skill, if Ozpin elected her leader of her team.

* _the next day, combat class_ *

Ah, my favorite class, Professor Goodwitch's combat training class. It pleases me to see others hone their skills as future huntsman and huntresses. I wonder who shall be called upon today.

"Alright, class, today's combatants shall be… Petey Lucenay and… Ruby Rose."

Is it my day? It would appear so. And I also get to see how my new companion, Ruby fairs in battle.

"Hello again, Ruby. Are you ready to lose a fight?"

"In your dreams, Petey."

She has spirit, I will give her that. Now, it is time to see how well she fares in combat.

* * *

* _3rd person P.O.V_ *

Petey pulled his flail off of his back, and Ruby unfurled her scythe as they both got into fighting positions.

"Remember, students, you work to disarm your opponent, disarm only! Save the _actual_ fighting for the Grimm." Professor Goodwitch said.

With their weapons ready, Ruby and Petey began their fight. Ruby ran forward with her semblance and tried to strike Petey with her weapon. But Petey simply used his own semblance to jump over her and land on the other side of the classroom arena.

"Remember, you have to study your opponent. See how they fight. Look for an opening, and a weakness." Goodwitch stated.

Ruby looked at her opponent, and tried to study him. She learned that he had a jumping semblance, and that he wielded a flail, and that there was likely a rifle in the staff, based on how it was shaped, but had no idea how good he was with it. Well, she was about to find out.

Petey swung the flail at her, extending the chain as it went so it was right next to her. Ruby just barely managed to see it and ducked out of the way. When Petey swung again, she held up Crescent Rose to defend herself. The chain wrapped around the scythe, and Ruby used this to her advantage. She yanked on her weapon as hard as she could, and with the flail attached to it, Petey was pulled forward. He landed on the ground, but still had his weapon in hand, so the match still went on.

Once he got his flail free, he retracted the chain and went with a different strategy. He turned the staff around and shot at Ruby, who used her scythe to deflect the shots. He noted that she didn't try and dodge naturally, which tipped him off that she over relied on her weapon in battle. He decided to use this.

He leapt right next to her, and they traded several weapon swings with each other. Both noted how well the other wielded their respective weapons. But the fight still had to have a winner, so it was time to end it. Petey swung his weapon downward, just as Ruby was doing a spin to strike him. The spikes of his flail tore into the fabric of Ruby's cape. After that, he swung his weapon upward, pulling the hood up and over Ruby's head. Petey then yanked his flail out of Ruby's cape, which caused her to become disoriented by the sudden yank. She spun around, started walking, and started swinging her scythe rapidly in front of her, not bothering to pull her damaged cape off of her head. She kept swinging wildly until she ran into a wall, causing her to fall down and drop her weapon.

"Ouch." She said while putting her hood back in it's proper place.

"And with that, the winner of this match is Petey Lucenay. You both did a great job, but still need improvement. Mr. Lucenay, you need to be careful when using that thing. Chained weapons are easy to take advantage of against skilled enemies, much like yours was. Try and save the extended chain feature as a last resort, or against an opponent that can't take advantage of it. And Miss Rose, you cannot over rely on your weapon, It's very easy to get disarmed out in the field, and you need to know how to keep fighting until you can get your weapon back. Also, you should do something about that hood of yours. If this had been a real battle, you would have most likely been killed the instant he pulled it over your head." Goodwitch stated.

"Yes, professor." Petey and Ruby said in perfect sync.

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

That was a fantastic battle. I'm amazed at how well Ruby can handle a scythe. I've only ever heard of one other person who can use a scythe with such skill, the hunter known as Qrow Branwen. I wonder if Ruby knows of him, if he's the one who inspired her to use a scythe as well. Still, what Professor Peach says reigns true. One mustn't over rely on their weapon in battle. Hmm, Ruby still seems disheartened over losing. Perhaps I can cheer her up.

"May I assist you, Ruby?"

"Sure, Petey."

* _Ruby grabs Petey's hand and gets on her feet._ *

"That was a fantastic battle, Ruby. You fought marvelously. You just need a bit of improvement. We all do, that's why we're here, to become better, to become true huntsmen and huntresses. I'm sure that by the time we graduate, you shall be one of the best huntresses in Remnant."

"Oh, uh, thanks, Petey. I'm sure that you'll be a great huntsman too. Anyway, I need to go and repair my hood."

Still somewhat shy, I see. Perhaps, if I ever see her again, I can assist her in overcoming that shyness. Is it possible to help her now? What is today? It's Tuesday, which means I have a test in Oobleck's class tomorrow. Sadly, time with my new friend shall have to wait.

"Very well, then. I must go to the library and study for a test I have tomorrow. Farewell, my friend."

"Bye."

I have a great feeling that I have just entered into a marvelous, lifelong friendship with this amazing young woman.

* * *

 **First chapter down! What do you guys think? How do you like my new OC? Leave me a review if you get the chance. A follow and a favorite would also be appreciated.**

 **The second chapter will be posted on Tuesday. Until then, so long!**


	2. Together in Forever Fall

**Hi guys, how ya doin'? I've come back to write another chapter. Hooray! I hope you like it. Here we go.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _Set during the 'Forever Fall' arc_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

* * *

Why do we need to come all the way out to the forest for sap? Couldn't Professor Peach have just bought it in a store? Why does she need us to go and get it for her? Is this just easier for her, to make us do it? Oh well.

"Should we split up and get the sap that way?"

"It would get it done faster. Sure."

I can always count on Yang to have my back. She's the best big sister anyone could ask for, as well as one of my best friends. I still don't see why I need more friends when I have her, as well as Weiss and Blake.

Besides, I already made a new friend, Petey. I wonder where he is now. Probably back at Beacon. I hope he's doing alright. Why do I think so much about him? I really just met him the other day.

Maybe it's because he's one of the only people outside my team and JNPR who's been nice to me since we got here.

I think I'll go say hi to him when we get back. But first, we need some sap. Where do I get sap from? Where _does_ sap come from? Why does this have to be so confusing?

"Struggling to find sap, are we?"

Is that…? How'd he get all the way out here?

"Petey? What are you doing here?"

"Professor Port took my team, as well as teams POWR and MAPL out to collect some sap for Professor Peach. I'm assuming that you are in a similar situation, Ruby. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, you are. Except we're with Goodwitch."

"I do wonder why she needs so much sap. What does she hope to gain by having so many students retrieve it for her?"

I wonder why she needs it so much, too. Maybe she wants to make tons of syrup. Professor Peach better hope that Nora doesn't find out.

"No matter, I suppose that she'll tell us soon enough, Ruby. Besides, we get to spend a small amount of time in the exquisite, exemplary presence of nature."

What did he just say?

"'Exquisite, exemplary presence'. Is that some sort of fancy gift you give someone at a wedding?"

"No, Ruby. It simply means that we are surrounded by beauty. Wouldn't you say that it's very pretty out here?"

Oh, that's what he said. I guess it is kinda pretty out here.

"Yeah, I guess so. Hey, do you know where I can get some sap? I have no idea where to find any. I don't even know where sap come from."

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"I would be glad to assist you, Ruby. Sap comes from trees. Like to ones that surround us, for example. All you must do is stick these things into the tree and the sap shall come flowing out. I would recommend going to a small clearing over in… that direction. It should have trees large enough to provide sap for you, as well as the rest of your team."

"Thanks, Petey. I gotta go. I hope I can talk to you again sometime soon."

"As do I, Ruby. Farewell."

I'm glad that I could be of assistance to my new friend. Though, I must wonder how she mistook what I said about being in the presence of nature. Then again, she is only 15. Such a young age. So I suppose it's not too far fetched that she mistook what I said. Besides, it was rather cute. It makes me rather happy to see such an innocent girl act in such a way. To want to be a huntress. With her skill, she should be an excellent huntress.

* _Ursa roar_ *

Oh my. What was that? I hope my team is ok. I should go back and check on them.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Well, I'm at the clearing that Petey told me about. Now, how did he say to get the sap again? Oh right. Stick this in the tree, and… Wow! The sap really is flowing. I should get the rest of my team here so they can get their sap. Oh hey, there they are. JNPR's here too. But, where's Jaune?

"Hey guys, did you get your sap yet?"

"I did!"

"We haven't."

At least Yang has sap. And the others can get their sap here too.

"It's ok, Weiss, Blake. Try some of these trees. They work pretty good."

* _Ursa roar_ *

Uh oh. That doesn't sound good.

"Did you guys hear that?"

Oh great, here comes CRDL. Where's Cardin? Probably doing something mean to Jaune.

"Ursa! Ursa!"

"What?! Where?"

"Back there! It's got Cardin!"

"Jaune!"

Oh no! We have to save them! Someone should go get Professor Goodwitch.

"Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!"

I hope Jaune will be alright. I should go and see if he'll be alright.

 **And, another chapter down.**

 **Sorry if it was short, and not all that exciting, but I promise, the upcoming chapters will have some action in it. Speaking of which, I should have the next chapter posted tomorrow.**

 **Until the next chapter, adios, me amigos!**


	3. Have you seen Blake?

**What's up everyone? You ready for another chapter of this story? Fantastic. Let's go. This will be the last chapter set during Volume 1. Next chapter will be set in volume 2. But until then, please enjoy this chapter.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum**

* * *

* _Set shortly after "The Stray"_ *

 _*Ruby's P.O.V_ *****

* * *

Where could Blake be? She's been missing for a whole day now! I still don't know why she didn't tell us that she was once in the White Fang, or that she's a Faunus. So what if that's what happened in her past? All that matters is that now, she's a member of Team RWBY, and we need our whole team back together.

"Where could she be?"

"I don't know, Ruby. But I'm sure we'll find her soon enough."

I hope Yang's right. We need our teammate. I don't care what Weiss says. Blake's not an animal. Or a criminal. I hope we find her soon. Where could she be? What are Blake's usual hideouts?

"I think we should double check the park."

"We looked there already, Ruby. I think we should look toward the docks again."

Aww, man. Yang's right. But still, there's a chance she could be there now. People move. How best to find her? Maybe if we cover more ground.

"Split up. I'll go to the park. Yang, you go to the docks."

"What about me?"

Why does Weiss even care anymore at this point? I think she made it clear that she doesn't really care about Blake. She can do whatever she wants.

"You can do whatever you want, Weiss. Ruby and I will continue to look for Blake. You've made it very clear that you don't want to look for her anymore. Go back to the dorm room or something."

"Hey!"

Aww, Yang beat me to it. Oh well, I need to get to the park. I hope that you're there, Blake.

* _At the park_ *

Is Blake here? I don't see her, darn it! Where are you, Blake?

"Ruby? Is that you?"

Hey! Here's a guy that might be able to help me. Maybe he's even seen Blake!

"Hi, Petey. Can you help me with something real fast?"

"Most certainly, Ruby. What may I assist you with?"

Thank Monty. I need all the help that I can get. I hope that we find Blake soon.

"I'm looking for my teammate, Blake. She ran off yesterday. Have you seen her?"

"I'm afraid not, Ruby I don't believe that I even know what she looks like. I'm sorry. May I ask why she ran off?"

Oh, should I really tell him about Blake being a Faunus? She probably kept it a secret for a reason. She probably wouldn't be happy if I told someone else that she was a Faunus.

Then again, I feel like I can trust Petey with this secret. Something tells me that he'll also keep it a secret, and that he'll understand. He doesn't seem like the type to hate the Faunus.

"Come here. This needs to be a secret."

* _Petey puts his ear to Ruby's mouth_ *

"She's a Faunus. She ran away because my other teammate, Weiss, said some pretty mean things about them."

"Ah, I see. I understand wanting to get away from someone like that. Wanting to hide a fact like that. Given what the White Fang has been doing as of late."

Thank Oum that he understands. I'm glad he's not like Weiss. So kind. Wait, he knows what it's like to want to hide being a Faunus?

"Oh really?"

"Yes. I too, have a secret to share. I once knew… someone, who was a Faunus. He considered me a friend, but I never truly liked him. One day, he joined the White Fang. I'll never understand his decision. I truly do understand wanting to hide being a Faunus, avoid association with the deplorable actions of the White Fang. Despite the fact that not all Faunus are with them."

Wow, I never thought that he would understand. He understands better than I thought he would. But, that still won't help me find Blake.

"I still need to find Blake. I have no idea where to find her. This isn't fair!"

* _Ruby picks up a twig and throws it in frustration_ *

How will I ever find Blake at this rate? Where could she possibly be hiding? I hope I can find more help. Wait, what is Petey staring at? He's just looking toward that stick I threw.

"Petey, what are you looking at?"

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Oh damn! I can't believe she caught me staring at that stick! Perhaps if I play this off as something else. She might fall for that.

"It's nothing, I believe I saw something, but it's nothing."

I truly hope that she believes me. I don't want her thinking me weird. I've had quite enough of that in my life, thank you very much.

"If you say so, Petey. But will you let me know if you ever see Blake?"

Thank Oum she chose to believe me. Although, I believe I heard a hint of uncertainty in her tone. No matter, I shall deal with it on a later time. For now, I should assist my friend.

"I shall, Ruby. However, I still haven't the faintest idea what Blake looks like. Would you please describe her appearance to me?"

"Sure, she has black hair, gold eyes, and usually wears a bow on her head."

I imagine that she uses said bow to conceal her Faunus heritage. I wonder what kind of Faunus she is, if she only uses a bow to conceal them. Oh well, should I see her, I shall inform my friend of her presence.

"I promise, should I see her, I shall inform you, Ruby. Where do you think I may locate her?"

"Well, she likes books, and also likes tuna, a lot. So, I guess that's a good starting point, right?"

It's not a lot, but, I do suppose that something is better than nothing. I've had less to work with in the past.

"Thank you, Ruby. I shall begin looking as soon as I can. Though, if I may ask, where is the rest of your team?"

"Yang went to the docks to look for Blake, and Weiss is I don't know where."

"I see. I ask because I personally believe that it would be more effective having your entire team together looking for her. It helps having loved ones nearby when looking for a lost friend."

"Well, I guess it does make it nicer to find her, having everyone there so we can all reunite at once. Plus it seems like we put in more effort."

"Precisely, Ruby."

She truly is quite an intelligent young woman, in spite of her age and innocence. She is quite an interesting individual, I wonder why I am so intrigued with her. I suppose I'll have to ponder that on a later date.

"Thank you, Petey. See ya later."

"Goodbye Ruby."

* _the next evening, streets of Vale_ *

I wonder if Ruby and her team ever found their missing teammate. I truly hope that they have. It saddens me that I have not heard anything from her.

* **KABOOM** *

What in the hell was that?! It sounded like it came from the docks.

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Petey ran toward the docks as fast as he could. Just before he could actually reach the docks, he saw several soldiers in White Fang being released from airships heading for the docks as well. He knew that he had to do something.

"Hey!" Petey called to get their attention. The White Fang soldiers looked at him, and saw him with his flail ready to fight. They charged for him, and Petey made ready to fight. At least whoever they _were_ going to fight at the docks would have a slightly easier time now.

Petey swung his flail at the soldier closest to him, knocking him down. He then pointed the opposite end of his flail at another soldier, who was knocked back by the sudden blast. He then pulled his flail free and swung it again. As it was swinging, Petey made the chain connecting the 2 pieces of his flail extend. It wrapped around the neck of one of the White Fang's soldiers, with the spiked striking end lodging itself into said soldier's helmet. Petey then swung his flail, as well as the soldier attached to it, at two other soldiers.

Once he got the flail free, he retracted the chain and prepared to keep fighting. A White Fang soldier came to his left and struck Petey in the face. Then another one came and punched him in the stomach. Once Petey recovered from that blow, he grew angry.

He immediately went on the offensive again, swinging his flail at a soldier's feet, knocking him to the ground. He then smacked his flail into the soldier's back several times before turning his attention to another soldier. Petey swung his flail several times at the soldier, hitting him with both the striking end, as well as a couple of the rifle's bullets. He then shot at 2 more White Fang soldiers behind him.

After that, he used his semblance to jump behind one of the last remaining soldiers and swung his flail hard into his back, knocking him into another White Fang soldier. Petey jumped next to them and continued to swing his flail at them until he heard 3 airships flying nearby. The sound made him return to his senses and observe what was happening. He saw the airships shooting at something at the docks, then they were destroyed by some green laser, which cut the airships to ribbons. Petey then saw a couple more airships leaving the area, as if retreating.

Petey then used his semblance to jump on top of one of the large buildings and get a good view of the docks. He saw Ruby reuniting with her team, Blake included. He smiled at them, and made his way back to Beacon.

* * *

 **Whew, glad that's over. I'm sorry I didn't get this up yesterday like I promised, but I had another long day, and once I did start typing, I had a hard idea actually deciding what I wanted to do with this chapter. By the time I was about halfway done, I was too tired to continue. So I went to bed and finished up today.**

 **Anyway, I will next update this story tomorrow, and it will be set in Volume 2. So until that update, so long!**


	4. A day out in Vale

**Wazzup, peoples? I am here to give to you another chapter. Now that we're in Volume 2, things will get slightly more interesting, once we hit Volume 3, things will start to get crazy, and after that, well, let's just say I have some** ** _big_** **plans for what I want to do after we get past the end of the established RWBY canon.**

 **After some… constructive criticism left to me in a review, I've decided to make this entire chapter set around Petey and his team, with Ruby just making a small appearance at the end. you'll be getting little bits and pieces of that throughout the upcoming chapters as well. If that makes you unhappy, well, too bad! Just skip to the end, or wait until the next chapter, which I'll be posting tomorrow. I plan on adding a small surprise in the next chapter as well. If you want to know what that surprise is, just know this, I left a faint hint in the last chapter, and I'll be leaving another faint hint in this chapter as well.**

 **With that out of the way, let's get this thing on.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P** )

* * *

* _Set during 'Best Day Ever'_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* * *

I'm so glad that the new semester starts today. It's been quite some time since I've seen any of my companions from Team PRTI, or my other friends, such as Ruby. It has been most unentertaining in the few weeks we've spent apart. Where could they be? The airship was due to be here by now. What could be keeping them? Ah, there they are.

"Hello, my friends. How was the break?"

"Great, Petey. Yours?"

"It was just fine, Rouge, thank you. What about yours, Thomas, Indigo?"

"It was alright."

"Same."

Why is it that my teammates never wish to engage in a prolonged, meaningful conversation? It's always a short sentence or two, and that's it. Quite disappointing, if you ask me. Perhaps if I were to spend a tad more time with them, perhaps then my companions would try and consider engaging in a worthwhile conversation.

"Very good, then. Shall we be headed into Beacon? Or would you rather we head into Vale for some fun first?"

"Like what, Petey?"

"I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that we very rarely spend a great deal of time amongst each other outside of classes. This could actually be beneficial to us. Now, where shall we head to first?"

I do hope that they choose an interesting place.

"We could hit up the movie theater, I heard the movie _Red vs. Blue_ is really popular."

A legitimate suggestion, I must admit, however, we lack the time to fully watch a movie and still be back at Beacon when we are required to be there.

"I'm not so sure about that, Thomas. We are required to be at Beacon at a set time, and I fear we shan't have time to finish the movie before we have to be at the school."

"Damn, you're right, Petey. Maybe we could just grab a quick snack and then head back."

"Now that sounds like a marvelous idea. Any place in particular you guys wish to go to?"

I do hope that my friends pick a good place to go to. I recall last time I allowed one of my teammates to choose a restaurant, it ended rather disastrously. I am still unable to comprehend how Indigo was able to light our table on fire with nothing more than a cup of milk, a napkin, and a couple of straws. She doesn't even have any fire related semblance. No one on my team possesses such a semblance.

"If we're just going for a quick snack, why don't we try this place I saw while I was walking around Vale. I think it's called 'A Simple Wok'."

That small little stand out toward the edge of Vale? Ah yes, that sounds like a fantastic place to get some food.

"An excellent suggestion, Rouge. Let's make our way there."

* * *

* _At A Simple Wok_ *

This is actually very nice. I very much enjoy being able to spend more time with my teammates outside of classes.

"How are you all doing? Is the food enjoyable?"

"It's good Petey. I could still use some more though."

I have to find myself agreeing with Thomas here. Perhaps, upon our return to Beacon, we may go to the mess hall and get some actual food. First, I must finish up paying for this food here.

"Alright, then. Let's head back to Beacon and get some real food. Do you mind paying, Petey?"

"Absolutely, Indigo. So long as you watch your fingers. That's a very sharp knife."

I can't believe she almost grabbed that utensil by the blade. It's quite sharp. Someone could get seriously hurt if they were to cut themselves on it.

"Oh, thank you Petey."

"My pleasure. I must say, heading out into Vale was a novel idea."

Wait a minute. Novel. That reminds me.

"Before we return to Beacon, there is one last thing that I must do. For some time I've intended to acquire a new book by my favorite author. I believe that it is called 'Third Crusade'. Perhaps they have it down at that book store, Tukson's Book Trade. I'd very much like to see if he carries it."

"Do we have to, Petey?"

Why must Rouge cop that kind of attitude whenever we do something related to academics or books?

"Yes, we must. Have I not put up with you and those insufferable trips to the music store you insist on going to almost every weekend? Besides, the store is only a block away from here. It shall only be a short walk."

"He has a point, Rouge."

I can always rely on Thomas for assistance. That's what makes him a wonderful team partner.

"Fine."

Very good, then. I truly hope that Tukson has the book that I seek. He does house 'every book under the sun' Heh heh.

Wait a minute. What the hell is this? Why are there so many police officers surrounding the store? What has happened?

"Pardon me, officer, but could you please inform us as to what has happened here?"

"Sure, kid. It seems the owner of this book store was murdered earlier today. We have no idea who did it or why, but you can be rest assured that we'll find out soon enough."

Oh my Oum! How could anyone outright murder poor Tukson like that? That was cruel. He and I had quite a lot in common. We must find out who was behind this heinous crime.

"That really sucks. Sorry about that, Petey."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Indigo. However, I cannot help but shake the feeling that this was more than just a random hit and run murder. I feel like we should do more to discover the culprit behind this atrocity."

"Like what?"

I do enjoy it when they ask that question.

"I'm so glad that you asked that, Thomas. Would you be able to hack into Vale's security cameras the same you did to Beacon's all those weeks ago?"

"It might take a bit of work, but I'm sure I could pull it off."

"Excellent. When we get back to Beacon, I want you to do that. Rouge, I would very greatly appreciate it if you could acquire some data on poor Tukson, try and form a hypothesis on why someone would want him dead."

"You got it."

"Very good. Indigo, you and I shall perform some additional research around the Beacon campus. Speaking of which, we should best be heading back."

* * *

* _Back at Beacon_ *

"Alright, now that we have returned, you may go and do as you wish. Just don't forget the jobs that I have given you."

"Alright."

All this excitement has gotten me worked up with an appetite. And its not like that snack bar gave me a satisfied stomach. Perhaps if I were to head to the mess hall. Ah, there's my good friend, Ruby. Why are her clothes so dirty?

"Ruby? What happened to you? Why are your clothes so filthy?"

"Well, we just got finished with a little food fight with Team JNPR."

"Really now?"

"Yeah. It was awesome! I totally kicked their butts! You should have seen me."

I'm not so sure I would have enjoyed seeing her in a food fight. However, from the looks of things, it must have been quite fun for the others. I suppose if it had been me, I might have found some amusement in it.

"It must have been thrilling, Ruby."

"Oh, it was, Petey. But now that the cafeteria's fixed, you wanna get some food? I can kinda tell that you're hungry."

Very perceptive. Perhaps that's one of the reasons that she was selected as leader of her team. It is quite an admirable trait.

"Very well, I am craving a bit of steak."

* _After eating_ *

"Very delicious, I must say. What do you intend to do now, Ruby?"

"Well, after I take a quick shower, I think I'm gonna play my favorite game with Yang, Blake, and Weiss. You should come with so you can… Petey, are you chewing on that steak bone?"

DAMMIT! I did it again! I _must_ find a way to kick these odd habits of mine. I don't want to appear weird in the eyes of others, especially in the eyes of my friends.

"No, no. I was just, getting rid of the last of the meat on the steak. I prefer not to let anything go to waste."

I hope that Ruby accepts that as an answer. Please let her drop this issue!

"Well, if you say so. I guess we all have our funny eating habits. I need to go get cleaned up a bit, maybe grab that plate of cookies over there. Bye, Petey."

Thank Oum. I'm so relieved that she doesn't think me too odd in regard to my peculiar habits. I do hope to see her again outside of classes sometime. Let's see, isn't the Beacon dance scheduled to occur in a few weeks time?

* * *

 **Well, that was a thing, as Yang would say.**

 **Again, if you wanted more Ruby in this chapter, tough luck. Take comfort in the fact that I shall include her in the next chapter. A great deal more than in this chapter, I'll tell you that. It will take place during the dance, and shall be posted tomorrow.**

 **So until tomorrow, hasta la vista!**


	5. Secrets Revealed

**Hi guys. Are you ready for another chapter? Excellent. As I've stated before, I have a bit of a surprise going into this chapter. Want to find out what that surprise is? Well please continue reading to find out.**

 **RWBY** ** **© R**** **ooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _Set during the Beacon dance_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* * *

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to this year's Beacon dance. I don't really have much to say but, get your butts on the dance floor and have an awesome time!"

Ruby's sister truly doesn't know a great deal about how to craft a proper introduction speech, now does she? Oh well, at least she tried. Now, what is there to do here? I suppose I could find someone to dance with. The problem is, I don't really know a great deal of girls here.

Let's see, are there any girls here that I could dance with? Hmmm. Ah, there's Ruby. I thought that she would be hiding by the punch bowl. Poor girl has always been quite socially awkward. She should be out there having an enjoyable time, like everyone else. Even her sister, Yang seems to be enjoying herself, dancing with that green eyed young man. I wonder if Ruby came here with that blonde fellow.

"Hold my drink!"

I guess not. He seems to have taken a liking to that white haired teammate of Ruby's. Weiss, I believe her name is. Let's see if I would be able to steal a dance from my young friend here.

"Greetings, Ruby. What are you doing hiding by the punch bowl? You should be out there dancing, enjoying yourself."

"Well, ya know, I was never very good at these kinds of things. Plus I can't really dance. I can barely walk in these silly shoes. Get what I mean, Petey?"

"Come, now. Those shoes aren't that ridiculous, and you look fantastic. Quite admirable, I must say. Now please, may I have this dance?"

She truly does look amazing. I never knew that she could pull off a dress quite so well. Now if only I could get her out and about so that others may appreciate her dress.

"Uh, thanks, I guess. And sure, I'll try and dance, just don't expect much from me. You look pretty good too. But I'm not all that sure that hat you wear matches the rest of your suit."

Unfortunately, she is correct. This cap looks positively dreadful with this outfit. Sadly I have no choice but to wear it. Perhaps one day, I shall shed the hat, but I don't believe that it shall be today.

"I've always kinda wondered what you looked like under that hat, Petey. Would you mind showing me?"

"I'm afraid not, Ruby. Perhaps one day, but not this day."

If I do show her, would she think me odd for what I keep under this hat? I pray not. I've dealt with far too much throughout my life.

"C'mon, it can't be that bad. Can't be any worse than Yang when she wakes up in the morning."

With that much hair, I imagine Yang must suffer a severe case of bed-head on several mornings. Still, this does not mean I intend to take off my hat in front of Ruby.

"Sorry, Ruby. But no."

"Aww come on. What's so bad about what's under there? Do you have some sort of funny sounding hair condition like danufillia? Is that what it's called?"

I don't believe that's even a real word. Much less any sort of known hair disorder.

"No, Ruby, it's not that, I assure you."

"Then what? Please? I really wanna know. It's not like I'll think any less of you."

She seems quite determined to find out. The issue is, can I trust her? Will she truly think any less of me if I were to reveal it to her? From what I know of her, she is quite understanding, as well as kind. Not to mention determined, apparently. Perhaps showing her what I keep under my cap is not such a terrible idea after not. At least not as much as I originally made it out to be. Let's see, are there others looking around? We are at a public dance, after all. Just because Ruby might be the understanding type does not necessarily mean that the others here are. They all seem to be busy dancing with each other to notice us. Very well, then. I suppose it's now or never.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Very well then, Ruby. If you're going to be that adamant about it, I suppose I shall show you."

Alright! I finally get to see what he keeps under that hat of his. I wonder what it could be.

* _Petey slowly takes off his hat_ *

Alright, it looks like under his hat he has, wait, are those … ears? They are. Ears! Dog ears!

He's a Faunus!

"Well, there you have it. I am indeed, a dog Faunus."

I can't believe that's what he was hiding underneath that hat. The only thing that I wonder is…

"Why? Why hide it?"

"You recall when I said that I knew someone who joined the White Fang?"

"Yeah so?"

Where could he be going with this?

"I was not just referring to some random person. I was referring to my cousin. He and his whole family left to join the organization. It destroyed my mother to see them join. That's when I started wearing the hat. I refused to be associated with that deplorable organization. I was scared that others might associate me with the White Fang due to my connection to him. Or due to me being a Faunus in general. I feared for my life, honestly."

So he was just afraid? That seems weird. Why hide it? He himself said that not all Faunus are with the White Fang. Does he think I wouldn't be his friend since he's a Faunus?

"So what if you have dog ears? So what if your cousin decided to join the White Fang? You're not like him, I can tell. Just because you've got dog ears doesn't mean that you're any different from me. I don't mind that you're a Faunus. Besides, those puppy ears of yours are _cute!_ "

* _Ruby reaches out to gently stroke his dog ears_ *

"That actually feels very nice, Ruby. Although you do know that it is generally considered taboo to lay a hand upon a Faunus' animal feature."

'Taboo'? What does that mean? Is it some sort of candy? Does he maybe mean 'tattoo'?

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"What does that mean, Petey? Do you mean 'tattoo'? Like that ring around your eye? Hold on, are you drinking some of that 'funny juice' my Uncle Qrow usually drinks? The kind that sometimes makes him talk all weird?"

Qrow Branwen is her uncle? I suppose it makes sense that he would teach his niece to wield a scythe like him. But what does she mean by 'funny juice'? Oh, I believe I understand now. I would have never guessed that Qrow was an alcoholic. No matter, I must return to the topic at hand.

"No, Ruby. Taboo generally means improper or frowned upon."

"Oh, sorry."

It actually felt quite nice having her pet my ears like that. It also pleases me that she doesn't care about me being a Faunus.

"It's quite alright, Ruby. I'm quite happy you have decided to accept me for who I truly am. I only wish that all humans thought the same way that you do."

"Well, I'm sure that one day, they will. Until then, I still think that you should get rid of the hat."

Is she serious? Why should I abandon this disguise now?

"C'mon, Petey. People will never truly accept you if you keep hiding your ears. I don't want 2 friends who hide that the fact that they're a Faunus. Besides, you look kinda cute with them out."

She must be referring to her teammate Blake. I see her over there with that bow upon her head. I wonder what motivates her to hide her Faunus heritage.

Still, Ruby appears to be quite wise when she wishes to be. She is correct. If I keep my ears concealed by this hat forever, the people of Remnant would never _truly_ accept me for me. Perhaps it is time to shed this hat.

"I believe you are correct Ruby. This hat shall no longer be worn."

Farewell, old friend, but I shan't be needing your services any longer.

* _throws hat in the garbage_ *

"Thank you for your support, Ruby. Thank you very much. I hope that you and I may continue to spend some of our time together after this. But for now, I should check on my teammates."

"Alright, Petey. It's not like I'll be doing much more dancing at this dance in these shoes. Whoa!"

"Careful there, Ruby."

I can't believe she almost tripped over a simple pair of shoes. They truly must be uncomfortable.

"Well, see ya later, Petey. I'm gonna go talk to my sister. … Hey Yang, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, Ruby. Be right there. See you later, Pov."

"Later Yang."

He looks like that same green eyed individual from before. He must be quite a good dancer, if Ruby's sister looks that happy. Maybe one day, I shall find out more about him. But for now, I must locate my other teammates. Ah, there's Thomas. He also looks quite happy dancing with Indigo.

"Enjoying yourselves, are you?"

" Oh, hey Petey. Where's your hat?"

"I have decided that I no longer need it. I shall be showing off my Faunus ears from now on."

"What made you decide that?"

"An excellent question, Indigo. For another time."

To explain it now would most likely take far too long. It shall have to wait until tomorrow, most likely. For now, there are other questions that must be asked.

"On an unrelated note, have either of you, or Rouge, discovered anything worthwhile on our murdered bookstore owner case?"

"Yes, Petey. I found out that… * _hysterical laughter_ *"

What? What is this? Why is Thomas laughing? What was he about to say?

"Oh my Oum! Look at that guy, Petey! He's wearing a dress!"

* * *

 **Good God, I'm glad I finally got this chapter over with.**

 **First, let me say I'm incredibly sorry that I didn't get this chapter up when I originally said I was going to. Long story short, life got in the way. I'll spare you the details.**

 **Second, what did you guys think about Petey being a dog Faunus? That's something that I had planned from the start. That's why I had him staring at a stick Ruby threw in chapter 3, why he was chewing on a bone in chapter 4. Try to imagine that his dog ears are shaped like those of a Jack Russell Terrier, which is the breed of my dog. The fur on the ears is brown, much like the rest of his hair, as well as his eyes. (That's something I wanted to establish, since I didn't in the bio in chapter 1.)**

 **Next, I want to say I'll try (keyword 'try') to have the next chapter posted tomorrow, but I make no promises. If I can't get it up tomorrow, I promise I'll have it up Wednesday. The next chapter will cover the rest of Volume 2. After that, we get into Volume 3.**

 **Lastly, for those of you wanting a bit more info on that 'greed eyed individual' Petey saw Yang dancing with, the one she had a very brief conversation with toward the end of the chapter, check out my other fanfic, _Time With a Sun Dragon._ It explains all about him.**

 **Until tomorrow, (or Wednesday) I wish you a good night (since it's night for me at the time I'm posting this chapter) and I'll see ya real soon.**


	6. Team PRTI's mission and the breach

**Hey hey hey! It's time to play! Well, by play I mean read. I got another chapter lined up, and hopefully you'll think it's good. After this chapter, I get into Volume 3. I got all sorts of plans for when that happens, some funny, some serious, and some that are downright weird.**

 **But, we'll get to that when we get to that. Right now, I'm going to show you how Team PRTI's mission went, as well as their actions during the events of the breach. So let's get to it!**

 **Last note, from now on, Petey will no longer be wearing the hat I gave him at the beginning of the story. From now 'til the end of the story, he'll be exposing his dog ears proudly.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _Set during the events of 'Field Trip'_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* * *

I can't believe that we are finally going to embark on a real mission. We shall finally get a taste of what it's like to be true huntsmen and huntresses. The only issue is, what mission shall we partake in?

"Which mission would you guys prefer to participate in?"

"I don't know, Petey. You're our leader, you decide."

Why must Rouge say it like that? There's no need for unnecessary rudeness. No matter, I shall speak to him on the matter on a later date. For now, I must chose a mission for our team. Let's see now, this one called 'village defense' sounds like it could be amusing.

"How about village defense? Does that sound like a good choice to you guys?"

"I guess. Where exactly is it?"

"It says section 3. I believe that that's slightly northwest of the city of Vale. What do you guys say?"

"Alright, who do you presume we'll be shadowing?"

"That would be me."

Is that who I think it is? It is. I believe our mission shall go much more smoothly with Professor Peach.

"So, are you all ready to defend innocents with your lives?"

* * *

* _Later, in the village_ *

"Well, students, welcome to the village of Tuggey."

Wow, quite a small village. Though, if the Grimm attacks here are as abundant as Professor Peach states, then it truly is no surprise that these poor villagers have not had the opportunity to expand.

"For many months now, this village has been harassed with a pack of Ursas. It is our job to find where they're hiding, and kill them. Can you handle that, PRTI?"

"Yes, Professor."

I wonder how often the Grimm attack this village, or how many Grimm there are. I truly hope that they are not too numerous. I suppose that I shall find out soon enough.

* _Ursas come out of the forest_ *

I suppose 'soon enough' came sooner than expected.

"Team PRTI, prepare for battle!"

* * *

* _Third person P.O.V_ *

Team PRTI readied their weapons and prepared to fight the onslaught of Grimm.

Petey made the first move. He used his semblance to jump toward one of the Ursas and embedded the spiked part of his flail into the Grimm's skull. He then turned his staff around and shot several more Grimm with his rifle. Afterwards, he pulled his flail out of the Ursa's bleeding skull as it evaporated. He then turned his attention to another Ursa, which he quickly disposed of by jamming one of his flail's spikes into it's eye, then pulling it out fast enough to snap the Grimm's neck.

Meanwhile, Indigo, used her lightning dust infused bullwhip to strike at several Grimm. With each crack, another Ursa was electrocuted. She smacked one across the face, and wrapped her whip around another ones arm, and flung it into another Ursa, electrocuting and killing then both.

Thomas also went after an Ursa. He used his weapon, a halberd that doubled as a machine gun, to slice and dice one of the Ursas to ribbons. After that, he turned his attention to yet another Ursa.

Rouge, meanwhile, was also busy with a couple Ursas. He used his own weapon, a claymore to stab the Ursa multiple times until the beast fell. He then saw another Ursa making its way toward Indigo, who was distracted with other Grimm. He ran toward her, ready to kill the creature.

After a long fought battle, all the incoming Grimm were gone, and Team PRTI decided to rest for a moment and catch their breaths.

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

That was quite a battle we just went through, now the only thing that remains is to find out where the Grimm that have been attacking this village are situated, and destroy their nest. Let's see now…

"I believe that the Grimm were coming in due west. That would most likely be our best bet. Team PRTI, let's go."

* _in the forest_ *

2 hours of searching and nothing has come up. Quite unbelievable, honestly. No matter, I'm confident that we shall come across something worthwhile soon enough. Perhaps I can pass the time with idle conversation.

"So, Thomas, you claimed that you knew something in regard to what happened to the bookstore owner?"

"Yeah, I hacked into Vale's security cameras, and saw 2 people entering the store, then a bright flash of light, like a gunshot, and then the 2 from before walked out. I couldn't tell who they were, the security cameras are kinda crappy. I'm currently working on getting a clearer picture of them."

I have always detested that we have such lackluster security cameras. Honestly, what if a crime were to take place, such as the one we are investigating, and the authorities were unable to determine who it was that committed the crime due to having awful quality security cameras. Oh well, I cannot blame Thomas for this.

"Very good, Thomas."

"Anyway, you never did explain to us why you decided to stop wearing your hat."

I suppose I have put this off for too long now. I do owe them an explanation.

"With the help of one of my close friends, I came to the realization that if I wanted people to accept me for me, to try and accept the Faunus, I could not hide the fact that I was one."

"I see. Who was it that helped you? What is he or she like?"

How do I even begin to describe Ruby to my teammates?

"She's quite extraordinary. She's the leader of her own team, and, while innocent and sometimes naïve, she is very insightful and wise when she wishes to be. She's the one who convinced me that I shouldn't hide who I really am to the world. She only wishes to help those that are unable to help themselves. That is something I greatly admire in her. Quite a nice girl, Ruby is. Very sweet as well."

"It sounds like you have a crush on this girl. Petey."

"WHAT?!"

How could Indigo say such a thing? She's just a friend. Nothing more.

"C'mon, Petey, don't try and deny it. Even I can tell that Indigo's right. I say go for it. Take it from another guy, if you like a girl, but don't see for yourself if she likes you back, it's gonna haunt you."

Could it truly be possible that I have developed an infatuation for Ruby? Is it possible that she returns my affections? Is there merit to what Rouge just said to me? Will it truly haunt me if I am unaware as to whether or not she reciprocates my feelings? Perhaps Rouge is right, I must find out. If this is nothing more than an infatuation, it shall pass. However, if these feelings are indeed genuine, I would enjoy being with her. Maybe once we return to Vale, I shall attempt to spend some time alone with her. See how I truly feel about her. Before that, however, we must finish this mission.

"Very well then. I shall think more on the subject later. But for now, we must find the nest of all the Ursas that have been plaguing the village."

"Alright then, shall we press on?"

"Let's. I believe that the nest truly isn't very far from where we are now."

* _Later, on the airship back to Vale_ *

What an exhilarating mission. I'm so glad that we were able to assist the poor people of Tuggey. Now there is not much to look forward to other than returning to Beacon and readying ourselves for the upcoming Vytal Tournament.

* _sirens wailing_ *

What? What is this? Why are the sirens going off? What in the name of Monty Oum is going on right now?!

"Students, I believe that our fight is not quite over yet. I've just received word that Grimm have been released into the city. We need to help take them down. Get ready, we're landing near the edge of the city. From there, we'll make our way toward the center of Vale."

What?! How could Grimm have made it into the city? How many are there? Will we be able to stop that many? I assume we shall have to find out.

* * *

* _Third person P.O.V_ *

Once Team PRTI made it to the edge of the city, they were already seeing numerous Grimm. The Grimm seemed to sense the presence of these humans, (and one Faunus) and rushed toward them.

Indigo was the first to move forward and attack. She swung her whip at several charging Beowolfs, killing them by electrocution before using her whip to grab a piece of debris and flinging it at 2 more incoming Beowolfs.

She then used her weapon on an Alpha Beowolf, wrapping the leather weapon around the Grimm's neck and flinging said Grimm into an Ursa that had tried to attack her from behind. The Ursa was impaled by the spikes of the Beowolf, killing it, and the Beowulf itself was killed by electrocution.

"Anyone else?" Indigo said while readying her weapon for another assault.

At the same time, Thomas was swinging his halberd at multiple incoming Grimm. He impaled one in the heart with the spear topped part on his weapon, while killing another one with the axe like part of his weapon. He then turned his weapon around and fired at several incoming Grimm with his machine gun.

Rouge was also keeping himself busy with several Grimm. When a Boarbatusk came charging toward him, he skewered it with his claymore. Once the Grimm evaporated, he turned his attention to a Death Stalker. He jumped on top of the scorpion like Grimm and made his way to the tail. Once he was there, he swung his sword at the base of the tail, where a Death Stalker is weakest. With the Grimm distracted by the loss of its tail, he brought down his sword on the Death Stalker's head, killing it.

Meanwhile, Petey used his semblance to jump on top of a Nevermore. He shot his rifle into each of its 4 eyes, then jammed his flail into its brain, killing it. Just before the bird like Grimm went down, he jumped on top of another Nevermore. Petey swung his flail at the Nevermore, using the extended chain to wrap around the giant Grimm's neck. Once the spiked part was secure, Petey used his semblance to jump off as hard as he could, while still holding onto the flail. The resulting force snapped the Nevermore's neck.

Once Petey landed on the ground again, he saw several more Grimm coming his way. By now, he was starting to lose his sense of restraint and began attacking the Grimm without mercy.

He swung his flail at an incoming Ursa, and swung it hard. The Grimm was knocked back several feet, but that didn't stop Petey from jumping toward it and shooting it until he landed next to it. When he did, he kept striking it with his flail until it evaporated. With that, he turned his attention to another Grimm, a King Taijitu.

"You want some too? Well come at me, you bastard!" Petey yelled with anger in his eyes.

The King Taijitu tried to bite Petey with one of its heads, but Petey simply jumped back and swiped his flail at its teeth, knocking out both fangs. He then jumped on top of the snake creature and started swinging his flail at multiple places at the Grimm's head.

"Die. You. Ugly. Son. Of. A. Bitch!" Petey said in between each swing of the flail.

Eventually, the head stopped moving, but now he had the second head to worry about. He shot the Grimm in both of its eyes, blinding it. While the Grimm was screaming in pain, Petey stuck it in the head, hard. Really hard. The King Taijitu was an inch from death, and Petey made sure that it went that extra inch. He jammed his staff into the open wound where the Grimm's eye used to be, and then fired it. The Grimm collapsed, dead. Once it evaporated, Petey landed on the ground, looking around for more Grimm to kill. As he was looking, Thomas was looking at his team leader, and had witnessed his vicious kill.

"Petey, you really need to calm down man." Thomas said.

Petey looked at his teammate and shouted "I WILL NOT CALM THE HELL DOWN! NOT UNTIL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE SOULLESS ASSHOLES IS DEAD!"

"There ARE no more Grimm, they've all been taken care of." Thomas replied.

With that, Petey looked around and noticed that there were no more Grimm. He started to regain his sanity, and put his flail away.

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

I can't believe that I allowed myself to succumb to my instincts yet again. It's quite embarrassing to let the others see me and my more feral side. I really _must_ learn to control it better. I suppose I'll have to work on that another day. For now, I must find out how all these Grimm got into the city in the first place.

"Do any of you have a theory as to how Vale got so overridden with Grimm in the first place?"

"No, but perhaps Goodwitch knows. She's right over there."

Is she truly? She is. It would appear that in our efforts to battle the Grimm, we have made our way close to the city's center. There appear to be a few other teams here as well. Did they also assist with some of the Grimm? If so, I wonder if Team RWBY is here as well. I do not see them nearby.

Ah, there they are, out watching the sunset with each other. I believe I should let them be for now. I suppose my questions regarding Ruby shall have to wait another day.

* * *

 **And we're done. We're finally done with this chapter. Thank God.**

 **Listen, I'm so, so sorry I didn't get this up when I said I was going to. I'll admit, I had a hard time writing it. It was a combination of my job, a lack of motivation/inspiration, and me just being lazy that prevented this chapter from going up when I said it was going to. But it did teach me one thing: Don't give your audience the day you intend to post next, you probably won't get the chapter up that day. So from now on, I'll just give you a rough estimate of when the next chapter will be up. I hope to have the next chapter up by Friday. Hopefully sooner.**

 **On a slightly more positive note, do you think you can guess where I got the name for the village from? I will give you a hint. The name 'Tuggey' has something to do with Ruby. See if you can find out.**

 **Also, as I mentioned in the bio in chapter 1, when Petey is in prolonged combat, he tends to lose self control. I mentioned it, but have never truly shown it. Well, this was my attempt at showing it. Since he's a dog Faunus, my intention was for him to start acting like an attack dog when he's in combat. Do you think I pulled it off well? Let me know. But be nice. I won't tolerate flames.**

 **Until the next update (like I said, I'm not giving exact days anymore) Please leave me some feedback. I hope to update again shortly, and I'll see you on the other side.**


	7. Meeting Penny, Zwei, and Yang's wrath

**Hi guys. How's it going? Excellent. You ready for another chapter? Alright then.**

 **I've finally made it to Volume 3. Huzzah! I have all sorts of crazy things planned for the next 3 chapters of this story. After those 3 chapters, I start taking this story in whatever direction I please. Alas, that shall have to wait until chapter 10. Until then, please enjoy this chapter.**

 **RWBY ©** **Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _Set during 'It's Brawl in the Family'_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

* * *

"You're just mad 'cause he whooped butt."

"That was a draw at best!"

Weiss can deny it all she wants, but Uncle Qrow will always be cooler than her sister. He's the coolest uncle in the history of uncles! No one will ever beat my Uncle Qrow in a fight.

"Humph."

Even when she's not the one fighting, Weiss is a sore loser.

"Ruby? Do you know what has happened here?"

Was Petey watching the whole fight? I think he was. I wonder what part he came in at. Oh well.

"My uncle showed up and totally kick the crud out of Weiss' sister."

"Really now? Didn't you saw your uncle's name was Qrow Branwen?"

"Yep."

I wonder if he's ever heard of my uncle. Well, of course he has! Everyone's heard of Uncle Qrow! He told me so himself.

"Say Ruby, I have a question for you."

"Sure, what's up?"

"I was just heading for a leisurely stroll through the park, and I was wondering if you wished to accompany me."

Just a fun little walk through the park? That's all? Well, it's not like I have a whole lot else to do. Yang and Blake are probably watching whatever match is going on in the coliseum, Weiss is probably being pouty about Uncle Qrow kicking her sister's butt, and Uncle Qrow is probably getting yelled at by Ozpin for blowing up the courtyard.

"Sure, I guess. Why not?"

"Splendid!"

* * *

* _at the park_ *

"So your uncle is the one who instructed you in the way of the scythe?"

"Yeah! He's the greatest uncle ever. Although, I do kinda think I went a little overboard with the design."

"No, no, no, Ruby. If you wish to hear about an overboard weapon design, you should hear what I originally had planned for my own weapon."

How could Petey have possibly gone overboard with his flail? It looks fine as is. It's an awesome weapon. I wonder what name he gave it.

"See, my initial design called for the spikes of the flail to shoot BB pellets in order to hurt and confuse my enemies before I went in for the kill. I always have had an affinity for advanced weaponry."

Really? Petey loves weapons that much too? I can't believe we have that in common.

"I love weapons too. It makes me really happy to see other people's weapons. They're all so cool!"

"Truly? I never imagined I would meet someone who admires weapons nearly as much as I do."

Well, now he's met someone. I have to admit, his weapon is almost as cute as his eyes, and his doggy ears. Wait, what did I just think to myself? Why do I suddenly have fuzzies in my chest? Why do I feel this way whenever I'm around Petey? Or whenever I think of him?

"Ruby? Are you quite alright?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine."

Focus, Ruby. Get back to talking about weapons.

"Anyway, what name did you give your weapon? I don't think anyone can bond with their weapon unless they give it a cool name. I call mine Crescent Rose."

"You are indeed correct in that regard Ruby. And I do indeed have a name for my flail, I call it…"

"Ruby!"

Is that who I think it is? Well, maybe it's time I let my new friends say 'hi' to each other.

"Hi, Penny. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see my friend. Who is this you are with?"

"Well Penny, this is my friend Petey Lucenay. Petey, this is Penny."

"Salutations, Petey Lucenay. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well, Penny. You seem to be quite a nice girl."

"You seem pretty nice yourself, Petey. I believe that we shall be great friends."

I'm so glad that 2 of my best friends are getting along. That makes me really happy.

"Anyway, Ruby. May I please talk to you for a moment?"

"Oh, sure Penny."

"Penny! It's time to go."

"Coming, officer! Perhaps later, Ruby. Farewell."

Well, that was productive. Oh well, at least I got some new friends to meet. And I'm sure Petey and Penny will get to talk again on another day.

"Quite an, interesting friend you have there, Ruby."

"I know. She's pretty nice, once you get to know her."

"Forgive me for saying so, but does she not seem a bit… odd, to you?"

Uh oh. I hope Petey's not on to the fact that she's a robot. Let's see if I can defend her.

"Well uh, maybe a little. I felt the same way when I first met her. But trust me Petey, she grows on you really fast."

"No, no. What I mean is… How do I put this? She smells quite weird."

"Petey!"

How could he say such a thing! That's not very nice. I thought he was nice. Besides, I didn't smell anything weird on Penny.

"Forgive me, Ruby. I did not intend to say anything hurtful. What I meant was, well… As a Faunus, specifically a Dog Faunus, I naturally have a better sense of smell than humans. And while all you humans have a unique scent, deep down, there are similarities. Same goes for the Faunus. It's one of the ways we are able to tell each other apart. I did not smell anything like that on that Penny girl. I believe I picked up the scent of oil, metal, and possibly synthetic rubber on her. Normal humans do not have any of those scents. Nor do any normal Faunus. Not that strongly, anyway. Is there something you are not telling me? Or something that you are not aware of?"

Oh no. He's catching on to the fact that Penny's a robot! What do I do?

"Well, I, uh…"

"Based on your current reaction, I'm going to make an assumption and say that she is an android, but has requested that you not reveal that to anyone. Am I correct, Ruby?"

"* _sigh_ * Alright, I guess you got me. Yeah, she's a robot. But please don't tell anyone!"

I don't want her secret to get out. I don't want to let Penny down! Please tell me that Petey won't tell anyone!

"Very well then, if you insist. I shall keep her secret."

Phew. That was a close one.

"Oh, thanks, Petey!"

* _hugs him_ *

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

I still must wonder who would go through the trouble of creating an android that looks and acts like a human girl. What purpose does it serve? What do they hope to accomplish by making such a girl? The appearance of this android just raises a great number of questions. I suppose I shall have to ask Penny herself on a later date. For now though, I suppose we should be heading back to Beacon. It is rather late.

"What do you say we begin making our way back to Beacon? It is starting to get late, and it would be dreadful if Goodwitch were to catch us out past curfew."

"I think you're right, Petey. We should go."

* _outside RWBY's dorm_ *

"That was nice, Petey. We should do something like that again sometime soon. But I do have one question."

"And what would that be, Ruby?"

"Was that what a lot of the other girls call a date? Just hanging out with a close friend like that?"

What?! Why would she ask that? Is she not aware of what dating truly is? Well, she is still somewhat young, so I suppose it's not too far fetched that she would have questions on this topic. Plus, the time I spent with her was quite pleasant. I hope to spend more time with her, so perhaps…

"Yes, I do believe it was."

"I kinda liked it."

"As did I."

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

I've never been on a date before. Is that what its like? I've heard all the other girls say how much fun it is, so I guess I can kinda see what they mean. It was a pretty fun walk through the park. I just hope Yang doesn't freak out over it. Ah, what are the odds of that happening?

* _opens door_ *

"Hi Yang."

"Hey Rubes. Where were you all day?"

"I was hanging out with my friend Petey."

"Really? Small world, I was just hanging out with my friend, Pov."

"S'up Ruby."

Oh I remember this guy now. Yang's old friend, Povelitel, was it? Yeah I think so. I think he and Yang have been hanging out a lot lately. I guess that means both sisters are dating a guy. Maybe we could all go on a date sometime. A quadruple date, is that what it's called? Since there's 4 of us?

"See, sis, I told you that you didn't need me to make new friends. How's it going, Petey, right?"

"Yes, and I'm quite well, thank you for asking, Yang. Oh, is this your pet dog, Ruby? He's quite adorable."

I can't believe it took until now for Petey and Zwei to meet! I should have introduced them sooner!

"Yep, this is Zwei. Zwei, come say hi to my friend Petey."

* _Bark, bark_ *

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Zwei. You have a lovely fur color, I must say."

* _Bark, bark. Bark_ *

"Well, I appreciate the compliment, Zwei. Thank you."

* _Bark!_ *

"I hope so too."

What's going on? Why is Petey talking to Zwei like he understands him? Is it because he's a dog Faunus?

"Petey, are you able to understand what Zwei is saying?"

"Yes, actually. Well, rather, I have a vague idea of what he's saying. I can only understand a few words at a time. My dog ears only allow me to do so much."

"Really? That's so cool!"

Yang's right! I wanna test this now! I wanna know what Zwei is saying.

"Hey Zwei, what are you thinking right now?"

* _Lots of barking_ *

"What did he say, Petey?"

Time to find out what it is my doggy's really thinking.

"He said something along the lines of 'I think you guys need to leave me more toys when you go out. I get bored, very bored.'"

"Aww, we're sorry, Zwei. We don't want you to be bored. What do you say after the tournament we go down to the pet store and get you some more toys? How does that sound?"

Yang always did have a way of cheering up Zwei. I hope she gets him lots of fun toys.

* _More barking_ *

"Now, I believe he said, 'I also think yellow master needs to bathe more often.'"

"HEY!"

* _lots of laughter_ *

Wow, smack talked by a dog. That's got to be really embarrassing. And funny! Ha ha ha!

"What are you laughing at, Pov?"

"I'm sorry, Yang. I just can't help but laugh at the fact that you just got called out by a _dog._ Ha! Way to go, Zwei. And you too, Petey. Great job, man. You're awesome."

I'm glad Yang's boyfirend likes mine. I hope they become good friends some day.

"Alright, tell me, Zwei: Why do I need to 'bathe' more often?"

* _Barking_ *

"Well, Petey?"

"'Whenever you come back at night, you all usually smell of sweat. You more so than the others, yellow master. And it itches my nose.' I have to admit, Yang, you do seem to sweat more profoundly than the others. And it also slightly itches my nose as well."

Jeez, I always knew Yang was a sweater, but I didn't think it was bad enough to tickle Zwei's nose like that. Maybe Yang should 'bathe' more often.

* _still more barking_ *

"What did he say now?"

"I'm… not so sure I wish to translate that. It's rather embarrassing."

What could Zwei have said that's so embarrassing? It can't really be all that bad. He's just a dog, after all.

"C'mon, it can't be all that bad. Tell us."

"Yang's right, tell us, Petey! Please?"

"* _sigh_ * Very well then. He said: 'I like your mate, red master. You should bring him around more often. He's nice, just like yellow master's mate.'"

Wait, what?

"Whoa! Hold on there, pup! Pov and I aren't mates."

"Yeah, Petey and I aren't mates either. We're just dating."

" ** _WHAT?!_** "

Uh oh, maybe letting Yang know about that wasn't as good an idea as I thought it would be. Now she's starting to act like dad, all overprotective and stuff. Can I try and act like I said something else? Worth a try, I guess.

"Uh, I said that we're just… uhhh… 'rating'. Yeah that's it. Isn't that right, Petey?"

Please play along, Petey! I don't want Yang to hurt you.

"Err… quite! Yes! We spent our time in the library, rating various internet shows on how good they are! I'm particularly fond of that one show that takes place on that fictional planet known as 'Earth'. I especially like the episode where they…"

"Ruby, listen to me and listen good. You are _too young_ to be dating right now! You're too likely to get hurt. I refuse to let my sweet baby sister get hurt! This guy's going to hurt you, I can feel it! And you! Who the hell gave you permission to date my sister? You're not good enough for her! How do I know you won't hurt her in some way? How do I know you haven't already hurt her in some way? When I get my hands on you, I'm going to…! LET GO OF ME, POV!"

"I'll hold her back as long as I can! You two, run!"

* _Petey and Ruby run away_ *

* * *

 **Well with that, the Volume 3 section of this story is underway! So what will happen once Yang catches up to Ruby and Petey? Will it be ugly? Or will they simply sit down, and work out their problems? Well, wait until the next chapter to find out.**

 **After all this time, my first OC has made a triumphant return to my stories. Hooray! For those of you who know and love him, well he won't be in the story all that much. This is supposed to be focused on Ruby and Petey, first and foremost. He and Yang will only be making the occasional appearance in this story. Yang more so. And for those of you who don't know who this 'Pov' character is, again I encourage you to read my other fanfiction, _Time with a Sun Dragon._ That story is all about him and his relationship with Yang.**

 **I hope to have the next chapter posted before the weekend is over. So until then, so long and farewell, to you my friends.**


	8. The first (real) date

**Hello, laddies and lassies! After 3 weeks, I have finally decided to make another chapter of my beloved story.**

 **I'm so extremely sorry it took so long to get it posted. I sadly succumbed to a severe case of writer's block. I will try to update more often from now on. But no promises.**

 **Much like chapter 8 of my other fic, this will be a calm like chapter, but the next chapter will have plenty of fighting, shouting, and explosions. After that, I start doing whatever I want!**

 **One last note, I meant to post this with the last chapter. When Penny cut off Petey before he could say his weapon's name, I meant for that to say that I still don't _have_ a name for Petey's flail. I was never all that creative in that department. I would very much appreciate suggestions.**

 **Well, now that that's out of the way, I have a chapter to give you. So here it is.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _Set shortly before 'Lessons Learned'. Hallways of Amity Coliseum_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* * *

I'm so glad that Ruby and I have managed to evade Yang for the night. It would have been disastrous for both of us had she caught us. Most likely more disastrous on my end. Yang does not strike me as the kind of person to willingly harm her sister. A person that she believes has harmed her sister, however…

I need to stop thinking about Yang. Perhaps focus more on Ruby.

"Thanks again for accompanying me to the stadium, Ruby. I hope that today's fights prove to be interesting. However, are you quite certain that your sister shan't find us here?"

"Sure, Petey. I'm sure it'll be fine. What are the odds of Yang finding us in this ginormous…"

"RUBY ROSE!"

Uh oh. It seems we have been located. Please, oh great Monty, let me walk out alive!

"Oh…uh…hi, sis. What's up?"

"'What's up' is that you and I are going to have a SERIOUS talk about you and this whole 'dating' thing. I told you, you're not allowed to date yet. You don't really know what dating is!"

"Well, I can try to…"

"At your age, people are just going to take advantage of you, Ruby. None of these guys is good enough for you. They'll just hurt you! I don't want to see my sister get hurt. And you, Petey…!"

Oh dear, here comes the part where she lays into me.

"How dare you try to take advantage of my sister! If you have done anything to hurt her, I swear to Oum I'll…!"

"Yang stop! He hasn't done anything to hurt me. And I don't think that he will. He's been real nice to me since the day we met. I really like him. And I think you would too if you spent some time with him. Besides, you said I needed to make some more friends, so I did. I just think that maybe he's a bit more than a friend. Please leave him alone. He won't do anything to be mean to me."

Wow, I would have never expected Ruby to raise her voice so much. Especially to aid someone like me. I truly admire her for trying to defend me. I must repay her for her kindness one day.

"Please Yang. I Really like him, and he likes me. I don't want him to get hurt. Would you really hurt a cute puppy?"

I'm not too sure that I approve of being referred to as a 'puppy'. However, if it manages to save me from Yang's anger, I suppose I shall allow it to slide this once.

Ah, now Yang appears to be reconsidering her actions, there it is. I do hope she is thinking about not injuring me for dating Ruby.

"Well, I… Fine, Ruby, fine. I guess I'll leave him be. Sorry for snapping at you. You know me, I'd never hurt anyone without good reason."

Yeah, sure, I'll believe that the day a pig Faunus flies.

"I know sis."

Does Ruby truly believe that? Well she has known Yang longer than I have. Perhaps I should allow Ruby the benefit of the doubt. I hope that I do not end up regretting that decision.

"But listen here, Petey…"

Starting to regret that decision.

"I consider someone hurting my sister as good reason to hurt someone. If you do _anything_ to hurt Ruby in any way, you won't be barking ever again. Got it?!"

"Got it!"

"Good! Glad we could talk this out."

Is this what Yang considers 'talking'? Making a verbal threat and attempting to pass it off as trying to protect a love one? I suppose it doesn't matter. She has stated that she shall leave me alone, and I have no intentions of ever harming Ruby. I assume that means I haven't anything to worry about.

"Anyway, c'mon Rubes, lets catch up with the rest of the team and watch the next match."

Is it time for the next match already? Huh, it would appear so. I suppose I should be regrouping with my own team as well. I hope that today's fights prove to be interesting. If they are anything like the first rounds of the tournament, then this shall prove to be an entertaining day.

" _The randomization process is complete! Ladies and gentlemen, your doubles tournament fight!_ "

* * *

* _that evening, after all the fights_ *

" _And that concludes the matches for today. Please return tomorrow as we conclude the Doubles Rounds._ "

What an exhilarating series of battles today held. I hope tomorrow's battles are just as thrilling.

" _Now please, exit the stadium in a calm and orderly fashion. Enjoy the rest of your evening._ "

All that's left to do is to retire to the dorm room for the evening. Hold on, there's Ruby. Perhaps I can accomplish one more task before I head to sleep. I have been meaning to ask her for some time.

"Pardon me, Ruby. Might I ask you a very quick question?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?"

Well, I suppose this is it. Why do I have an intense feeling of nervousness? I suppose this is how everyone feels when asking someone out on a date.

"I was wondering if you wished to accompany me to a nice restaurant next Saturday evening."

"Alright, sounds nice. Sure."

I can't believe that she said yes. I actually got a real date. This is truly one of the best moments of my young life.

"Excellent! I shall be waiting outside your dorm room at around 7:30 PM ."

"Alright. Bye, Petey!"

I cannot wait for Saturday evening to arrive.

* * *

* _Next Saturday night_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

I can't believe that it's finally here! I've been waiting all week for this night to arrive! I wonder where Petey will take me. Well he did say a restaurant. But what kind? Ohh! Maybe a bakery, I'd love to get some cookies. But, can he eat cookies? I know dogs can't eat chocolate. But they do have other kinds, I think.

Where could he be? It's almost 7. I still need to wait for Yang to leave on her date before I get ready for mine.

* _Knock, knock_ *

"Oh, that must be him. Well, I'm off. See ya, girls."

Well, I hope that Yang has a fun time on her date. Well, I should probably be getting ready for mine.

"Well, now that Yang's gone, I can start getting ready for my date."

"What do you mean Ruby?"

"Well Weiss, I have a date too, and I have to start getting ready for it, which means I…"

"Not that, you dolt! I mean when did you also get a date?"

Oh, well she doesn't have to be so harsh about it. Well I guess I should tell them.

"Last week, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go to a nice restaurant with him. And, well, I said yes."

Well now that Blake and Weiss are up to speed, I guess I should start getting ready.

* _30 minutes later_ *

I wonder where Petey is, he was supposed to be here by now. Where is he? Did he get lost? Did he forget? What if he doesn't want to go on a date anymore? What if…?

* _knock, knock_ *

Oh. I guess that's him. Phew, I was worried I'd have to spend the night just looking over my Crescent Rose. Not that I have much problem with that.

"Hi, Petey."

"Greeting, Ruby. I must say, you look positively stunning this evening."

I'm so glad that he likes it. Well, I guess it's time to get going.

"Should we be going?"

"Indeed, we should. Let us be off."

* _In the city of Vale_ *

"'Marty's steakhouse' huh? No offense, Petey, but are you sure this is the nicest place you know?"

Doesn't seem all that nice. It looks no different from any other steak restaurant. It doesn't look that bad, but still. Why would Petey take me here?

"* _sigh_ * Perhaps I should have been more clear, Ruby. This is the nicest place I know that actually allows Faunus customers."

That's awful! It makes me really sad that some places don't allow people in just because they have animal ears. It also makes me sad to see Petey's dog ears droop down like that. Why are some people so mean? I hope that people start being nicer to Faunus one day. I think they will.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Petey. Let's go in."

* _in the restaurant_ *

"Alright, who had the well done T-bone and garden salad?"

"That would be me, Madame."

"Here you go, sir. And who had the medium Ribeye and fries?"

"Right here."

"Enjoy."

Wow, this looks delicious! I think I'm going to enjoy this.

"This looks pretty good, huh, Petey."

"Indeed, Ruby. I don't believe I've seen food this good since I left home."

Huh, I wonder how good the food he eats at his home. Must be pretty good. Now I feel kinda missing dad's cooking a little bit.

"However, ever since I first arrived at Beacon, I feel as though it has become my home. My teammates are like my new family. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I think I do, Petey."

Ever since Team RWBY was created, I've always kinda thought of them as family. I'm sure me, Weiss, Blake, and Yang will be together for a long time. We'll always be the best of friends! Wait, what is that weird look on Petey's face?

"Is something wrong, Petey?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing to concern yourself with Ruby. I was merely thinking of… an assignment my team has been attempting to work on for the past several weeks."

Must be a pretty crazy assignment. I wonder what it is. Who could have given it to him? Port? Oobleck?

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

How come we still cannot get any viable leads on who it was that murdered the owner of that book store? Why would someone do that to him? What am I missing? There must be a way.

"Petey?"

Huh? Oh! Why am I focusing on that? I should be giving Ruby my undivided attention. This is a date, after all.

"Like I said, you needn't concern yourself, Ruby. I'll figure it out later."

"Maybe I can try and help. What is this assignment?"

It's very sweet of her to want to help me. Wanting to help others seems to be what drivers her to be a huntress. That is a dedication I greatly admire in her. Perhaps she really could help me in my time of need.

"My team and I have been investigating a murder that occurred at a local book store several weeks ago. We do have video of 2 average looking people walking out of the store, but the quality taken from the video camera is quite atrocious."

"That's awful! It makes me sad when someone is killed for no good reason."

"I understand, Ruby. However, sometimes these thing just tend to happen. However, we are attempting to find the identities of those responsible. Sadly, we still don't have a way to discover the identities of those two individuals."

How do we figure it out? Who were they? Surely there must be a way to retrieve the answers I seek. But how?

"Well if it were me, I'd look at the weapon that was used. Must have been a pretty big ultra type weapon to kill him. Something had to have been left behind. A bullet, or something maybe. I'm… not all that sure."

Of course! Why did I not think of that! A great deal of Remnant's weapon ammunition is custom made for each person's specific weapon. It's quite possible that the bullet that killed Tukson was also made for someone's specific weapon. Damn it, I can't believe it took me until now to guess that. Ruby truly can be very intelligent when the situation requires her to be. I would have not been able to figure this out without her.

"Ruby, you are a genius. I would have thought to look toward the weapon that killed him for answers."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help, Petey."

As soon as we get back to the dorms, I must get Thomas to see if any sort of ammunition was left behind. But for now, I truly should focus more on Ruby. It's not entirely fair to her for me to spend most of my time here thinking of something other than her.

"Murder cases aside, Ruby, tell me: when is it you decided to be a huntress?"

That's quite a way to start a conversation. Very well done, Petey.

"Well…"

* _after the steaks are all gone_ *

"Would either of you two be interested in a dessert this evening?"

"Oh, yes! I want your chocolate lava cookie!"

Of course someone as sweet as Ruby would also have a sweet tooth. No matter, I'm glad to see her happy eating a sizeable looking cookie such as that. Looks quite delectable, I must admit. Perhaps I could get a bite for myself.

"That's quite a delicious looking cookie you have there, Ruby. Do you think perhaps you could spare me a bite?"

"I'm not so sure, Petey."

Really? Is she going to be so selfish as to try and keep it all to herself. I thought that Ruby was better than that, honestly.

"I mean, it has chocolate in it, and I know dogs can't eat chocolate. I don't want you to get hurt."

Oh, it seems she only wishes to keep me out of harms way. A noble intention, but I would have thought that she would understand that I am not entirely a dog.

"Come now, Ruby. I would have thought you would know better than that. I am not a dog. Rather, I am a dog Faunus. It's quite alright for us to eat chocolate, so long as we don't go overboard with it. A few measly bites won't kill me."

"Well, if you say so."

There she goes, now she seems perfectly willing to share. Oh my, this is the most exquisite cookie I have ever tasted! I should order dessert from this place more often. But for now, we should start making our way back to Beacon. After, of course, I have settled the bill.

"That was a fantastic evening, Ruby. However, we should begin heading back to Beacon for the evening. Besides, tomorrow is when we finally wrap up the Vytal Tournament."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I want to try and hang out with you again sometime, Petey. Tonight was fun!"

"Indeed it was. Perhaps next weekend, we could go out and celebrate your team's most likely victory at the tournament. Provided of course, nothing goes wrong."

"C'mon, what's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

 **It's done. It's done. This chapter is finally done. At long last.**

 **I'm so sorry it took 3 whole weeks for me to get this chapter posted. Truly I am. But like I said, I suffered a severe case of writer's block. It happens to the best of us, am I right? I hope to not have such a hiatus in between my chapters again, but at this point, I don't know what I can deliver anymore. All I can say is that, again, I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I can tell you that it will cover the Battle of Beacon. So be ready for that.**

 **So until that next chapter is up, whenever that is, I'll catch y'all later.**


	9. Battle of Beacon

**Hey guys, guess what? I'm not dead! And I haven't abandoned this story either! Are you ready for another chapter? Well, I'm more than happy to deliver.**

 **This will be the last chapter set in the established RWBY canon. After this chapter, I start taking this story in whatever direction I want. I'll no longer be bound by trying to write around what's already been seen of the show.**

 **Well, with nothing else to say, let's get this battle started. (Literally)**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

 ***** _Set shortly after 'Fall'_ *****

 _*Petey's P.O.V_ *****

* * *

I cannot believe it. Why is it that this had to happen? All of Vale appears to be in a state of panic. Why would Yang do such a thing to that Mercury fellow? Perhaps she truly is naturally violent, like I predicted. Hard to believe that she could be the sister to someone so sweet and innocent like Ruby. I wonder how their parents raised them for them both to turn out so differently.

Speaking of Ruby, I believe that's her right over there. Perhaps she can give me some information on Yang's deplorable actions.

"Ruby?"

"Oh, hi Petey. How are you?"

"I'm doing quite well. How about yourself?"

"Well, I've been better."

It pains me to see Ruby act sad like this. What Yang did must have done a number on her. Then again, I imagine it's not easy to accept that your sibling can be so cruel for no good reason.

"I don't suppose you know why it is your sister did such a dreadful thing to that Mercury fellow, do you?"

"She says that she saw Mercury attack her first, and she was just trying to defend herself."

Is that the excuse that Yang gave? Sounds rather feeble and pathetic, just to blame it on someone else. Wait, does Ruby truly believe what Yang told her?

"Do you truly believe that, Ruby? I mean, from what I know of Yang, she does seem to be rather punch happy. I'm not so sure it's out of the realm of possibility that she did this simply because she wanted to."

Oh dear. It seems as if I've offended her with my words. This will most likely not end well for me.

"But she wouldn't Petey! I know her! Yang wouldn't do this without reason. I know you don't know my sister very well, but I do. She's not a bad person. I trust her, and I think you should too."

Wow, quite an outburst for someone like Ruby. If she's willing to go so far to defend her sister in front of me, perhaps I should take heed of her words. Ruby does seem the type to defend her loved ones to the death. Especially those she's known for nearly her entire life. Plus, she seems thoroughly convinced that what Yang says is true. Based on the very little I know of Yang, she might be willing to threaten those she does not know, like me. Seriously, is it such a crime that I want to date Ruby? But Yang does not seem the type to willingly hurt or lie to her loved ones.

"Very well then. You're right. I do not know Yang very well. It was rather foolish of me to judge someone like that without truly knowing them all too well. So I am choosing to trust you here. I just hope that this does not end up being a mistake on my part."

"Thanks, Petey. And it's not gonna be a mistake. I just hope everything turns out alright for her in the end. I don't like seeing my big sister all upset and everything."

"I'm sure everything shall turn out alright eventually, Ruby. With luck, your friend Pyrrha shall win the tournament and restore honor to Beacon's good name. Anyway, I have other matters to attend to right now. Do give Yang my condolences when you see her again. Farewell, my lovely young friend."

"Alrighty, then. See you later, Petey. I'm gonna head to the Coliseum and watch the next fights."

Could Yang truly be innocent like Ruby says? Even if she is, why is it that no one saw Mercury attack her as Ruby claims? I have a very suspicious feeling about all of this. I suppose I'll have to give it some more thought later. For now, I should be returning to my dorm. Perhaps Thomas has found something worthwhile on our little murder case.

* * *

* _Back at Team PRTI's dorm_ *

"Greetings, everyone. Have you guys found anything of note on our little bookstore case?"

"Well, you were right about that bullet that was left behind at the scene. It's not like the common gun bullets you usually find. This thing was custom made. I'm looking into who it could have been made for."

"Excellent work, Thomas. Rouge, do you have anything of note?"

"Yeah. It turns out the guy who died was a former White Fang member. Some kind of Puma Faunus. That's the most I got right now."

Really? Tukson was a member of the White Fang? I'm honestly very shocked to hear that. I wonder why it is he left, though. Perhaps he was tired of all the horrible acts of terrorism they were committing. If so, I must applaud him for having the strength to up and leave. Even if it didn't last very long on his part. Poor man.

"Well, based on what I know of the White Fang, they do have a very low tolerance for traitors. Perhaps that is why he was killed."

"And you know this how, Petey?"

Oh damn! I cannot have my teammates thinking that I too was once a member of that horrid organization. Not like my cousin is. I know he of all people hates traitors. I wonder how he would react if someone he was close to in the White Fang left as well. Probably not well. I think he'd not rest until whoever deserted him had suffered for what they did before finishing them off. Poor souls. Wait, why the hell am I even thinking about this at all? I hate the White Fang, and I hate my cousin. I must return to the topic at hand.

"I have my ways, Rouge. Rest assured that unlike Tukson, I was never a member of that deplorable group. Nor will I ever be."

"Hey Petey, I got something."

At last, we can finally end this mystery and bring in those responsible.

"What did you find out, Thomas?"

"I sent a picture of the bullet that I found to an old friend of mine. Works in a weapons store in Mistral. Makes a lot of ammo. He just replied. He says that the shotgun bullet belongs to someone named… Wait, is that right? That can't be right."

"Who is it, Thomas?"

"He says these bullets are custom made for someone named Mercury Black."

"What?!"

That… that can't be right. What reason would Mercury have for murdering Tukson? And so soon before the Vytal Festival. It can't be a coincidence that this happened so soon. Perhaps there truly is more to Yang's innocence than I initially believed. Maybe even more than Ruby herself believes. Is it possible that Yang knew this, and was trying to take him out, but simply chose the wrong time and place to do so?

"Isn't that the same guy that that Yang girl apparently crippled yesterday during the Tournament?"

"You are correct, Rouge. I actually met with Yang's sister, Ruby, on the way here. She claims that Yang is innocent, and after learning that Mercury is the one who killed my favorite bookstore owner, I'm more inclined to believe it. I don't believe that it is a coincidence, these two events happening so close to each other. The murder, and the crippling. I have a very unsettling felling Mercury might be planning something. He might have even planned to have Yang shoot him in the leg. Unfortunately, we shan't be able to get any decent information until he lands in Mistral, so until then…"

"Oh my Oum!"

"What is it, Indigo?"

What could possibly have Indigo so shocked? Did she see something of the TV?

"Y-you guys need to see this. Oh, dear Oum!"

What could have happened? It's just another match of the Tournament. How could it possibly have Indigo so… Great Monty Oum! Is that… is that girl dead? Oh my, she is! It looks like Ruby's friend Pyrrha killed her. But why? Why is this happening? What is with so many senseless acts of violence occurring during this Festival? Wait, is that…? Oh dear, it is. It's Ruby's friend from the park, Penny. That's who was killed. I can only imagine how Ruby is taking this. Poor girl. It mustn't be easy, seeing one of your closest friends get horribly dismembered right in front of you.

Wait, what's happening now? Why is the screen red? What is with the black queen symbol, is someone hacking into the broadcast signal? I have a very bad feeling something incredibly horrendous is about to happen.

"We should be heading outside. I have a very unsettling feeling that we are about to be swarmed be Grimm. Call it an instinct."

"But Petey, what about the broadcast?"

"To hell with it! I have no desire to listen to it. It shall only make us feel worse, thus attracting more Grimm. And I'm quite certain that there are enough of them on their way right now as is! Now let's move!"

* * *

* _Outside Beacon Academy_ *

* _Third Person P.O.V_ *

Once Team PRTI made their way outside Beacon Academy, they found that Petey's instincts had been correct. They could see several Nevermores and Griffons flying over the city of Vale. They also saw numerous Grimm being released into the grounds of Beacon by the White Fang. As well as soldiers from the White Fang themselves.

"Alright, split up. They will likely be evacuating the school. We should assist in speeding up that process. If you see someone in danger, help them. If you should encounter a Grimm, take it out. Should you encounter the White Fang, same thing. Now go!" Petey ordered.

Team PRTI then ran in different directions, with Petey heading toward the White Fang's ships directly. Along the way, he took out several Grimm with his flail. He hit one of them over the head, and shot another one right between the eyes with his rifle. All the while, he kept his eyes on the White Fang's airship, as he wanted to take them out as soon as possible. He wanted to keep them from hurting anyone else.

But before he could get to close to it. He was blocked by two members of the White Fang. Petey took them out as fast as he could. When one got close to him, Petey swung his flail at his attacker's feet, then quickly hit him in the back with it, taking him out. As for the other one, when the donkey eared Faunus ran toward Petey, he shot at the masked menace, sending him back several feet.

Unfortunately, by the time Petey took them both out, the White Fang's airship had already taken off and was heading toward the coliseum. He tried to use his jumping semblance to reach it, but sadly the ship was too high up for Petey to actually land on top of it. He only managed to brush his fingers against it before beginning to descend back toward Beacon.

"YOU COWARDLY BASTARDS!" Petey yelled once he landed beck on the ground.

Unable to catch up to the White Fang, Petey decided to take his anger out on the Grimm still on Beacon's grounds. As well as the very few White Fang soldiers that were still there as well.

He charged at a nearby Ursa, running past it and hitting it in the mouth with his weapon, effectively knocking out all of its teeth. Petey then turned himself around and fired a bullet into the creature's open mouth, making the creature fall down, dead. Petey then turned his attention to a Griffon flying above him. He used his semblance to leap above the flying Grimm, and on the way down, grabbed the Griffon's head with the spikes of his flail. The creature died as soon as it landed on the ground along with Petey. Once he landed, Petey found himself near the mess hall. He saw a large amount of Grimm heading his way. He also saw the grease dumpster that Beacon used. He aimed his rifle at it.

"Smile you sons of bitches!" Petey shouted right before he shot at the grease dumpster.

 ** _*KABOOM*_**

There was a massive explosion, taking out several Grimm, knocking Petey back, and taking out nearly the entire wall the grease dumpster was next to. Once Petey regained his senses, he grabbed his weapon and continued fighting, his vicious anger not quite satisfied.

He gave off a growl before running toward a nearby Beowolf. When it jumped up on what was left of the wall, Petey jumped up after it, embedding it into the Grimm's back. Petey then jumped off of the wall. When he landed, he struck his flail into the ground, along with the Beowolf attached to it. The creature's neck snapped due to the force of the impact on the ground.

"Alright, who's next?!" Petey shouted at no one in particular. He growled as he looked around for an opponent to fight. Unfortunately, he didn't see a Creep sneak up behind him and try to kill him. By the time Petey saw the Grimm, the creature had already swiped its claw at the dog Faunus. Thanks to his aura, Petey evaded death, but was still knocked several feet away. Before Petey could get up, the Creep charged toward him, ready to finish him off.

But before the Creep could get any closer, Petey heard a familiar 'whoosh', saw a trail of rose petals, and heard the unmistakable 'swish' of a scythe. He saw the Creep fall in 2 pieces before it evaporated. When he looked at what had killed the Creep, he saw his red hooded girlfriend standing there, a sight he was more than happy to see.

"Greetings, Ruby. It's extremely pleasing to see you once again, especially alive and uninjured." Petey greeted.

"Yeah, you too, Petey." Ruby said.

Before they could converse further, more Grimm came toward them. Petey and Ruby raised their weapons and prepared to finish them off.

Both of them ran toward an Alpha Beowolf. Petey hit it hard with his flail, knocking it toward Ruby, who sliced the Grimm's head off with her scythe. They then went after individual Grimm, taking them out quickly and efficiently.

"So, what have you been doing this entire time, Ruby?" Petey asked while dispatching an Ursa.

"Oh well, once I left the stadium, I got onto General Ironwood's ship, where I fought with Roman Torchwick and his dumb little ice cream servant. Well, at least until Torchwick was eaten up by a Griffon." Ruby said in between the swings of her Crescent Rose.

"Oh Monty, that's incredibly disgusting!" Petey replied. He really didn't enjoy the image of someone being devoured whole by one of the Grimm, even if it was someone as despicable as Roman Torchwick.

"Yeah, I'll have to tell you about it sometime. But, let's save that for later, after all these Grimm are gone." Ruby said.

"A splendid idea, Ruby."

With that they continued to fight their way past several Grimm. Ruby quickly ran forward toward a Beowolf, slicing the creature down to size. At the same time, Petey focused on a Death Stalker. It charged at him, but Petey simply shot at one of its legs, knocking the creature off balance. Once that was done, he jumped up on the scorpion like creature and fired off a few shots into its head, killing it.

The two Beacon students then turned their attention toward a King Taijitu. The snake tried snapping at them, but they quickly jumped out of the way. Petey then grabbed Ruby and leaped on top of the creature. Petey and Ruby immediately split up and began attacking the snake's 2 heads. Petey lodged his flail into one of its skulls, twisting it around. Ruby then jammed her scythe into the other skull. The Grimm's 2 heads fell limp, and it evaporated.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Not that this hasn't been an enjoyable experience, but I believe that we should be attempting to locate our teammates now, Ruby."

Petey's right! I need to find Weiss, Blake, and Yang. I just hope everyone's alright. I hope that Yang actually decided to come out and fight. She can't just spend all her time being upset. Nah, if there's one thing that Yang can do, it's put up a fight, even against bad odds. I'm sure she's fine. They're all probably fine. Nothing has stopped Team RWBY so far. But where could they be?

"But, where could they be?"

"They are likely near the docks so they can get to the city. Everyone else seems to be headed in that general direction. At least, that is my assumption."

Well, I guess that makes sense. Besides, Petey is pretty smart. He knows what he's talking about. I just hope that he's right, and that my team is there.

"Alright then, let's go!"

Wait, why is he not coming with me?

"Petey? What are you doing?"

"I'm afraid that I cannot accompany you. I sent my own team off to help with getting others out of the school. For all I know, they could still be there. I must locate them. Farewell, Ruby. I hope to see you in the city later on."

Oh, so that's where his team went. I hope he finds them. But for now, I need to find mine. Let's see, which way was it to the docks? Ah, there they are. I hope that they got everyone out of Beacon. Hey, there's Weiss! If she's here, are Yang and Blake here too? Has she seen them? I need to find out. I just hope that no one's hurt.

"Ruby!"

"Oh, I found you!"

"Ruby, where have you…"

"Don't worry, I'm fine! What's going on?"

Why is Weiss looking down like that? Was she hurt? Was someone else hurt? Are Yang and Blake here? What has Weiss so sad?

"Weiss? What is it?"

* * *

 **I assume you guys know what comes next.**

 **I can't believe I actually did it. I finally finished this chapter! It took well over a month, but I did it!**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will cover Ruby and her journey toward Mistral. I sincerely hope that I can get it up in less than a month this time. I really want to have this whole story done before Volume 4 airs.**

 **Anyway, on a slightly more positive note, I also finally finished that whole "PRTI looking for Tukson's murderer" side plot. Honestly, I'm not even sure why I started that in the first place, but whatever. Despite that, you will still see some other Team PRTI antics in some of the upcoming chapters.**

 **So, until the next chapter is up, (which again, I hope to have done in less than a month this time) arrivederci!**


	10. Journey to Haven

**Welcome, one and all, to chapter 10 of Dogs and Roses. Now that I'm finally past the established RWBY canon, I can start doing whatever absurd things that pop into my overactive, unstable, and freakish imagination. I no longer have to write around the show.**

 **So, how about I show you some of those things? Let's get it on!**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

 _*Set at the end of 'End of the Beginning'*_

 _*Ruby's P.O.V*_

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey, Jaune. Haven's a long way to go."

"I know. It's the only way we have."

"Are you sure you want to come along?"

I really wouldn't blame them if they don't want to come along. It's a very long trip, and I don't even know if we'll find what we want when we get there.

"The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain."

At least Ren gets it.

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it."

"Then let's get started."

I guess this is it. It's time to make our way to Haven. I only wish I had some more people with me. Why did everyone have to go? Stupid Weiss's dad for taking her back to Atlas! Stupid Blake for running away! Stupid Yang for… Well, I don't feel like I can blame Yang. It hurts me to see her without her arm. That's probably why she wouldn't come along. I just hope that we can stop whoever did this before they can do anymore bad things to others. Maybe then Team RWBY will come back together. And we can all be happy and free, just like we were. Just like we should be. That's the way I want to spend every day. Laughing with my friends and keeping sadness away.

Hopefully dad and Yang don't take it too hard when they find out I'm gone. I wonder how mom would have reacted if I did this. Maybe I should ask her.

"Hey, do you guys mind if we make a quick stop before we head in Haven's direction?"

"Sure. Just make it quick, Ruby."

* * *

* _At Summer Rose's grave_ *

"Hi, mom. I know it hasn't been that long since I last talked to you, but I could really use some help. Things have kinda gone downhill in recent months. Beacon's been knocked down, Vale's pretty much been torn down, my team is torn up, and worst of all, Yang's arm was cut off. * _sniffle_ * She's real upset. Everyone is. But I don't think it's too late. Some friends and I are going to Haven to look for the bad guys. So please, watch us on our way there and make sure that we find what we're looking for. I miss and love you."

I hope that mom sees us safely to Haven. Burr. Why do I suddenly feel cold? Well, I guess it is winter. But still. It's time to get moving.

"Let's go, guys."

"Alright, which way is Haven?"

Does Jaune really think I know? I thought he was the one with the map.

"Don't you have the map, Jaune?"

"Oh yeah, I do. Let's see, I think we need to follow… that path, the one that goes by that nearby cliff."

"Alrighty then. Let's move out."

* * *

* _On the trail_ *

"Uh, Ruby. I think we're running low on supplies."

What? How could we be running out of food already? We've only been out for 2 days. Maybe we should find a store.

"That's alright, Jaune. Maybe we just need to find a store and get some more food."

"And just where are we supposed to find a store in the vast wilderness separating us from Mistral?"

Oops, I guess I didn't think of that. Uh oh, what are we going to do for food? We won't make it very far on empty tummies. Hey, look, a village. Maybe they have some food we can eat.

"Hey guys, look. I see a village. Maybe we could get something to eat there. Oh, I hope they have cookies. Or maybe some strawberries."

Wow, small village. I wonder how they've been able to survive. I kinda thought that there would be a lot of Grimm in the forests nearby. Oh well, right now, I just want some food for the road.

"Hello there, travelers. Welcome to the village of Tuggey. What brings you here?"

Wow, friendly locals. I didn't really expect that after everything that happened. Oh well, it's kinda refreshing actually.

"Please, sir, we are on a very long journey and have run low on supplies. Do you have any food we might be able to have?"

Just cuttin' to the chase, aren't you Ren?

"Very well, outsiders. Y'know, you're the second person today to come here with that story. The first guy just came here an hour ago. Hey, there he is over there."

Really? Someone else came here too? I wonder who that could… Oh my gosh. Is that who I think it is? He's out here too?

"Petey?"

"Ruby? Is it truly you?"

"It is me. What are you doing here, Petey?"

"I'm attempting to locate my teammates. I haven't heard from them since we split up at Beacon. Since we came here on a mission shortly before the tournament, I had hoped that at least one of them would be here. But I must ask: What brings you and your friends all the way out to this remote village?"

So this is where his team went for their mission. Well then, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that there are no Grimm in the area. Wait, what did he just ask me? Oh…

"My friends and I are heading to Haven Academy in Mistral. Apparently there's some sort of lead to the bad guys over there."

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Wow. I always knew Ruby had a drive to protect others and defeat those who wish death and destruction upon the world, but to go so far in her quest to find those people. She's even more dedicated than I initially believed her to be. That's one of the many reasons I find her so endearing and loveable. I truly wish that I had but a fraction of her dedication. Wait, why is she with these people? What of her team? Surely they weren't separated as my team was.

"If I may ask, Ruby, what happened to Team RWBY? Why are these your travelling companions?"

"* _sigh_ * I don't think Team RWBY is much of thing anymore, Petey. Weiss was taken back to Atlas by her dad. Blake ran away. And Yang… Y-Yang…"

Oh Oum. Why is Ruby tearing up? Did something happen to Yang? And so soon after her Tournament disaster? What could have happened?

"Perhaps I could elaborate. Yang's right arm was cut off during the battle. As a result, she's apparently become pretty depressed."

What!? Someone sliced her arm clean off? Oh my Oum. First she is accused of a crime she didn't commit, then gets her arm cut off? I can only imagine the pain Ruby must be endearing. And now to have her team fractured. Poor Ruby.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby. Truly I am."

I believe that she could do with some comfort. Perhaps a nice, warm hug will soothe her. There we go. This feels quite nice. I hope Ruby thinks so as well.

"Thanks, Petey. I appreciate your support."

"Not a problem, Ruby."

"So, uh, you two seem to know each other pretty well."

Leave it to other people to ruin a pleasant moment with my girlfriend. Fantastic. Oh well, I suppose now is an ideal opportunity to make my acquaintance with Ruby's friends.

"Oh, uh, sorry. Heh heh. Petey, these are my friends, Jaune, Ren, and Nora. Guys, this is my boyfriend, Petey Lucenay."

* _A crow starts squawking loudly and going crazy in a tree_ *

What in the hell is that? What is that crow's problem? No matter, it's just a stupid bird.

"What is up with that bird?"

"I dunno, Jaune. But I think it's been following us for a few days. I've seen it a lot recently."

What reason would a crow have for stalking Ruby and her friends? Very perplexing.

"Anyways, it's nice to meet you, Petey."

Oh yes, I still need to say hello to Ruby's friends.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well…"

Wait. Which is which again?

"I'm Jaune."

"And I'm Nora."

"Ren."

Ok, that settles that.

"Alright then, how about we eat dinner here and head out in the morning?"

"Ok, Ren."

* * *

* _The next morning_ *

"Alright, guys, it's time to start heading out. Next stop: Haven."

I suppose it's time for me and Ruby to part ways yet again. I hope that she finds what she's looking for in Haven. And I really hope that I can find my teammates, wherever they are.

"Hey, Petey. You coming with us?"

"As much as I'd like to, Ruby, I cannot. I must locate my own team. So until we meet again, I guess this is goodbye."

"What? No! You can't leave yet. We need all the help we can get. You'd be a great help to us. We need you. Please, Petey? For me?"

Oh… DAMMIT! Why do her silver eyes have to be so big and expressive?! Why?!

And even if I were to say 'no', what other options are available to me? If my team wasn't in this village, where could they be located? I've looked everywhere. Even looking in this village was a long shot. I do not know where else to look. Is it possible they do not wish to be found? Or that they are unable to be found? What do I do? If I cannot find my team, even after 3 months, then I suppose my only course of action is quite clear.

"Very well, Ruby. I shall accompany you on your journey to Haven."

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Yay!"

Now we have another person to help us take on the bad guys. And it's none other than my awesome boyfriend. I hope our enemies are ready to go down!

"Well, shall we press on?"

"Good idea, Petey."

* * *

* _That evening_ *

"It's beginning to get late, Ruby. I believe that now would be an ideal time to set up camp. Let's go, before it gets too dark."

"Alright, Petey."

Wow, what a long day. At least we're that much closer to Haven. I wonder how long it will take for us to actually get there.

I wonder how the others are doing. Weiss, Blake, Yang. Why couldn't you guys have come with us? Will my sister ever get better? I could really use her help right now. I miss how she always tried to cheer me up when I was down. But who's gonna cheer her up? Who's gonna help her? Maybe I shouldn't have left. Maybe I should have stayed with her, like she would if I were in her shoes. I really miss you, Yang. I really hope you get better soon.

"Ruby? Are you doing alright? You're kind of spacing out on us."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, Petey. I was just thinking about Yang. I really miss her. I hope that I can get vengeance for her arm once we get to Haven. If only I knew who did it."

"Well, did Yang ever mention anything about the guy before you left, Ruby?"

Did she? I don't think so. Wait, she did mutter a few things in her sleep. Maybe that will help.

"Well, Jaune, she did mutter a few things when she was sleeping. 'Mask.' 'Red and brown hair.' 'Horns.' Uhh, 'Red glowing sword'. Does any of that mean anything to you guys?"

"No."

"Nuh-uh."

"I'm afraid not."

Darn it!

"Actually, I know of someone who fits that description."

Really? He does?! What does Petey know?

"Who is he, Petey?"

"His name is Adam Taurus. And he is a member of the White Fang."

"How do you know _that,_ Petey? Did you know him? Were you ever White Fang?"

"Hey, no need to be rude to my boyfriend, Jaune! But still, how do you know him Petey? Did your cousin tell you about this Adam guy or something?"

I guess it does kinda make sense for Petey's cousin to know another White Fang member.

"…Yes. He did. My cousin, who actually _is_ a part of the White Fang, has on numerous occasions sent me letters describing his so called 'actions toward a better world', as well as attempting to persuade me to join him in the White Fang. Despite the fact that last time we met I made it quite clear that I had no intention of ever joining them. He has also … described Adam Taurus to me in… great detail. From what I have gathered, Adam is a ruthless and sadistic man who will do anything to accomplish his goals. He cares not who or what he has to destroy to accomplish said goals. He has murdered, lied, stolen, and done many other horrendous and unspeakable things. All for what he believes is 'the betterment of all Faunus'. I truly hate saying this in front of you Ruby, but if Adam truly was the one your sister encountered that day, I believe Yang was actually let off somewhat easy. He likely would have done much worse to her if he had the chance."

Wow. I always knew that the White Fang was bad, but I never thought that someone could go _that_ bad. Now I really hope we find this Adam person in Mistral. He needs to be stopped before he can cut off anyone else's arm. Or do something worse.

"Alright, enough talk of Adam. Let's try and speak of something more positive before we drift off to slumber."

"Good idea, Petey."

"Oh hey, why don't we talk about the time that Jaune stole Ren's favorite hair shampoo and then accidentally blew it up! How do you do that anyway?"

"NORA, NO! You promised you wouldn't say anything!"

"Wait, that was you?"

"Ren, wait! I-I can… Nora?! What the heck?!"

"Aww, C'mon, Jaune. It wasn't that bad. It was actually kinda funny."

"'Yeah, if by 'funny', you mean 'embarrassing'."

"No more embarrassing than the time you stepped all over my favorite cape with your muddy shoes, Jaune."

"Hey, I said I was sorry!"

Yeah, like a week later. Seriously dude. Still, I wanna know how you can actually blow up shampoo.

"So what exactly happened, Nora?"

"Yes, do tell."

"Well, it all started while Ren was out getting pancake mix…"

* * *

* _the next day, on the trail_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Another day, another step toward Haven Academy. I must wonder though. How is it that we will actually get there? Mistral is on an entirely different continent, and it's not like airship transportation is readily available now that communication is down and distrust between the 4 kingdoms is at an all-time high. No matter, I'm quite sure Ruby has some sort of plan. She always does seem to come up with brilliant, albeit unconventional and unorthodox, plans when the situation calls for it. I suppose that I shall just have to wait until that leg of our journey has arrived. For now, though, I should be returning my attention to Ruby herself. Her story seems to be getting to its climax.

"… so then he shows me his sword and I'm like, 'Wow! That is a pretty cool weapon!' But then the other guy, the one that said he had a crush on me, pulled his new weapon out, and I say 'WHOA! Now _that's_ a katana!'"

"Well, what happened next, Ruby? Did you actually go out with him after that?"

"Nah. He may have had a cool weapon, but I really wasn't into the whole 'dating' thing back then. I was only 13. Besides, I learned the next day that while it may have looked super awesome, it wasn't very strong. I think the blade may have actually been hollow. Lame!"

"How did you learn that, Ruby?"

"Well, Petey, right after he showed me his katana, Rune tried asking me out again, but I said no. So the next day, he challenged me to a fight, and I beat him in one hit. Still, he kept trying to ask me out for the rest of the year. He never really learned. Last I heard, he went to Shade Academy in Vacuo right after I was accepted into Beacon."

Well, at least I needn't worry about competition for Ruby's affections. Especially from another dog Faunus. It might have actually been an ugly affair. Then again, maybe not, if this man was as dimwitted as Ruby's story suggests.

Wait, what was that? I could have sworn that I just heard something. Or perhaps several something's.

"Petey, are you alright? Why are your dog ears twitc…"

"Shhh!"

What it that noise? It sounds like it's coming toward us at an alarming rate. It also does not sound very pleasant. What could it possibly…

* _Roar!_ *

Oh dear Oum.

"Everyone, ready your weapons! There are multiple Grimm converging on this area. We have to fight!"

* _A multitude of Grimm come out of the woods toward Ruby and her friends_ *

It's as if someone does not wish for us to reach Haven Academy.

* * *

* _Third person P.O.V_ *

As the Grimm came toward the small group of Huntsmen and Huntresses in training, they made ready to retaliate.

"Time to play Whack-A-Grimm!" Nora shouted as she jumped toward an Ursa.

She jumped behind the Grimm and swung her mighty hammer at its back, sending it flying. Nora then turned her weapon to its grenade launcher form, and shot down a couple of Griffons circling overhead.

"Just like at the arcade." She mused.

Ren, in the meantime, had his hands full with a Death Stalker. When the large scorpion tried to sting him, Ren rolled out of the way and went on the offensive. He shot at the Grimm's eyes several times until it could not see anymore. Without its sight, the Death stalker had to rely on sound to try and attack its prey. Whenever Ren moved, the large Grimm aimed its stinger at wherever the noise had come from. Ren was always able to jump out of the stinger's way in time, but still had to take it down. Then Ren got the brilliant idea to get on top of the large Grimm. When the Death Stalker felt something on its back, it immediately aimed its stinger toward Ren. But as the stinger was brought down, Ren jumped off, and the Grimm stung itself, immediately dying from the poison.

At the same time, Jaune was faced with two Beowolfs. He looked at them in panic as they inched toward him.

"Alright, get a grip, Arc. You've trained for this." Jaune said to himself before charging forward.

He ran for the Beowolfs as fast as he could, swiping at one of them with his sword, and blocking an attack from the other one with his shield. After that, he charged at them again, impaling one of the creatures in the stomach with Crocea Mors. Now all he had to do was focus on the other one.

The other Beowolf charged at Jaune, who blocked its attack as best he could with his shield. Unfortunately, Jaune was still sent flying back several feet. Before he could get up, the Beowolf charged at him again. Right before it could kill Jaune though, he jammed his sword into its mouth, killing the creature. Once it evaporated, Jaune got up and went to fight more Grimm with his team.

Ruby and Petey, meanwhile, decided to take to the skies in an attempt to take down some Nevermores and Griffons that were circling overhead.

"Ruby, hold on to me as tight as you can. We're going up there to eliminate those fiendish creatures." Petey said.

"Well, OK." Ruby said while clinging to Petey.

"So how fast do you go when you JUUUUUMP!" Ruby said, right as they were taking off. Once they landed on top of one of the Nevermores, Ruby said:

"Please, don't ever do that to me again, Petey."

"I make no promises, Ruby." Was his response.

Before either of them could say anything else, the Nevermore that they were on tried to shake them off, reminding them that they still had to take it down.

"Petey, we need to defeat these Grimm. I'll take that one over there, you get this one." Ruby screamed. Petey then nodded, and Ruby used her semblance to leap from one Nevermore to another.

Once his girlfriend was clear, Petey went to work. First thing he did was run up to the creature's head, right to the edge of its beak. He jammed his flail into its beak, and shot it multiple times between the eyes. He then switched positions and started shooting into the Nevermore's mouth. The repeated shotgun bullets to the brain eventually made the creature start falling from the sky. As it did, Petey used his semblance to jump on top of a Griffon.

Once atop the Griffon, he decided to go with a different approach. He hit his flail into one of its wings multiple times, while shooting at the other wing simultaneously. With both its wings broken, the large bird began spiraling out of the sky. As it did, Petey used his semblance to jump off the creature and land safely on solid ground.

As soon as Ruby landed on one of the Griffon, she began to take it down. She jammed her scythe into its spine, and ran along the length of the Griffon with her semblance, destroying its spine as she went. Once she got to the head, she turned her scythe around and shot it point blank in the skull.

As the Griffon began evaporating, Ruby used her semblance to run and jump on top of another Griffon. Once atop the other Griffon, she slammed Crescent Rose into its heart. She then ran around in a circle as fast as her semblance would allow, effectively making a tornado of rose petals. As she was running, her scythe was drilling deeper and deeper into the large creature, until it finally destroyed the Griffon's heart. Then the Griffon began to evaporate as it fell.

However, there was still one more Nevermore to take care of. As the Grimm she was currently on began to evaporate, she extended her scythe's blade into a forward position, and began running again. She then jumped toward the last Nevermore while being followed by a trail of rose petals. As she was in the air, Ruby began spinning around like a torpedo with her scythe extended in front of her, until she was nothing more than a red spinning blur to the others. The red blur that was Ruby kept flying forward, and eventually she flew straight into the Nevermore's mouth.

For a few seconds, the Nevermore did nothing, making Ruby's friends fear the worst. At that moment, however, the Grimm's lower body began shaking and jerking violently, while simultaneously giving off large shrieks of pain. Eventually, the whole creature exploded from the inside out. The Nevermore's blood spewed everywhere, and a large red blob trailing rose petals began falling from the sky out of control.

Before Ruby could hit the ground however, Petey used his semblance to jump up and grab her. They both landed safely on the ground.

"Ruby, are you alright? Ruby, speak to me! Please!" Petey said to the unconscious girl in his arms. Just as Petey began to panic, though, Ruby gave off a few weak coughs and slowly opened her silver eyes.

"Ruby! Thank Monty you're alive. Are you feeling alright?" Petey asked.

"I-I'm fine, Petey." She said weakly. "Man, w-who knew Nevermore stomachs were so weak? I m-might have to try that again sometime!" Ruby continued.

"NO! No, no no! Please, Oum, no! Do not ever attempt such a risky stunt again, Ruby! Please, promise me that you will never do such a thing again! You have no idea how terrified I was for you! Please. Never again." Petey shouted at his girlfriend.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Whoa, I never took Petey as the kind to worry over this kind of thing. All I did was kill a Grimm. Isn't that what we're supposed to do? He's killed plenty of Grimm, too. Why is this one so different? It's not like I'd freak out if he was where I was. How would I react if Petey did what I just did?

Wait, now that I say it... EWW! Yuck! It sounds really super gross. Ick! It was bad enough that I had to see Torchwick get eaten by a Grimm, I don't think I could handle it if it was actually someone I cared about. Especially someone like Petey. Even if he did get out. Wait, is this how he felt when he saw me jump in there? I don't like this feeling. Maybe I shouldn't try that again.

"Alright, I promise."

"Thank you Ruby. Now then, I believe that now is an ideal time to set up camp for the evening. I hardly think that any of us have the necessary energy to keep moving forward at this point. We should resume our journey in the morning."

That actually sounds like a good idea at this point. I could do with some rest after taking down all those Grimm. Better get everything set up.

* _shortly afterwards_ *

"Alright, is everything up? Good. Let's get some sleep. Good night, everyone."

"Good night to you as well, Ruby. I wish you pleasant dreams."

"You too, Petey. Oh and uhh…"

"Yes?"

How exactly do I say this? Should I just say it directly? Let's see, ummm…

"Thanks for, umm… catching me, when I fell from that Nevermore earlier today."

Well, I guess that sounded pretty good. Nice job, Ruby. I really should have said that earlier though. I might not have made it past that fall otherwise.

"It was my pleasure, Ruby. I will not allow anything awful to happen to you as long as I am able to prevent it."

Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in one of those dumb, cheesy romantic movies Weiss used to make us watch? Seriously, what's wrong with the action and explodey movies that I like? Ah well.

"I really appreciate that, Petey. I'm really lucky to have you with me. I really like you."

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Suddenly, I feel indescribably awkward. I have no idea what I am to say or do in this scenario. But still, I should give Ruby a response, I mustn't leave her hanging.

"I really like you as well, Ruby. You are truly beautiful, kind, and smart. I wish to spend much as much time with you as I could."

Wait, why is she leaning into me? Why am I leaning back? What is going on?

"Thank you, Petey. I wanna be with you more too. A whole… lot…"

* _their lips meet_ *

Wow! So this is what a kiss feels like. It's extraordinarily pleasant. I don't believe anything could ruin this moment for me.

* _A crow starts squawking angrily, then dives down and begins attacking Petey_ *

"Ow! Hey! Get off me! Leave me alone, you bothersome little pest! Ouch! Stop biting my ear!"

"Shoo! Shoo, birdie! Go away! Leave him alone!"

* _Ruby swats at the bird until it flies away, still squawking angrily_ *

"Yeah, fly away, you obnoxious rat with wings!"

"Sorry about that, Petey."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ruby. Still, what is it with that crow?"

"I dunno, Petey. But I think that's the same bird that's been following us since we left Vale."

Why a crow would creep upon Ruby since she started her long journey to Haven, I haven't the slightest idea. I suppose I shall have to ponder the situation tomorrow. For now, I really must get some rest.

"Good night, Ruby."

"Night."

* * *

* _the next day, on the trail_ *

"Hey Jaune, how far off are we from Haven now?"

"Uhh, let's see here. About 5000 miles, give or take."

Really? We're still that far off? It is going to take us months to arrive at our destination.

"Hey guys, look! Another village. Maybe we could stock up on supplies there."

Thank Oum. We were beginning to run low on food. I must wonder why Ruby didn't pack more food and sustenance for a trip she knew very well would potentially take months.

"Hello there, travelers. How may we help you?"

"Please, we're on a long journey and we need some food before we can keep going. Wait, you look familiar. What's your name?"

"I'm Mary Sawyer. Who are you?"

"I'm Ruby. Do you know someone named Yang? Or maybe her boyfriend? What was his name, again? Pova… Pite… Hmmm?"

What indeed was the name of Yang's boyfriend? I don't believe that he ever mentioned it to me. And how does this lamb Faunus girl know him?

"Povelitel?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"He's my teammate. Or at least, he was, before I left what's left of Beacon."

Oh, so that's his name, is it? Oh well, at least now I know. I really must remember that for if I ever encounter him again.

"Yeah, I left right after Beacon fell. I was so scared and overwhelmed by all the Grimm and destruction that I just teleported right out of there."

Wait, what does she mean be 'teleported'? How could she have possibly teleported all the way out here to one of the most remote villages in all the world?

"If you don't mind my asking, Mary, what is it you mean by teleported?"

"That's my semblance. Teleportation. I came straight here as soon as the CCT tower fell."

Oh, well I suppose that makes sense. Hold on, teleportation? I wonder…

"Pardon me, Mary. But is there any chance that you could possibly teleport us to Haven Academy? That is where we believe our enemies to be. The ones who destroyed Vale and Beacon."

"Really? That's where they went? Alright, I guess I'll take you guys there. But afterwards I'm coming back here. I don't think I have the heart to actually face those guys after what they did in Vale."

Such a pity that we shall not have some more help in defeating the nefarious individuals behind all the troubles that have befallen Vale. Even if it is only one person.

"Thanks Mary. Although, I think that you should actually go back to Vale after you take us to Haven. The Grimm in the city have pretty much been taken care of, but there are still people there that need help. Maybe you could go to them."

I suppose Ruby's right. There is more than one way to fight a war. More than one way to assist good people, even if it is not on the front lines.

"I think you're right Ruby. Alright, I'll head back to Vale afterwards. First thing's first, let's get you guys to Haven. Alright, everyone hold hands. Alright, here we go!"

* _poof_ *

Good Oum. That was quite a rush. I always assumed that teleportation would be a little smoother. I suppose it matters not. We have finally made it.

"Alright, you guys are here. Now I need to return to Vale. Good luck finding our enemies."

* _poof_ *

Now, it is finally time to bring justice to those who have wrought death and destruction to Vale and Beacon.

"So, Ruby, what is our first move?"

"Be ready for anything, we're going in."

* * *

 **And with that, I have made it to the halfway mark. Woohoo!**

 **For those of you who are wondering why I made the trip to Mistral roughly a week long for Ruby and co., it's because I was reading over my other story, and in that story, I had made it so Yang arrived in Haven roughly 2 weeks after Ruby left. And by the time Yang gets there, Ruby and the others are already there. In real life, a trip like that would likely take months on foot. So I needed to shorten it.**

 **On an unrelated note, have you guys seen the leaked Volume 4 trailer on YouTube? Or the new character designs? I have. And for the most part, I liked them, but I do have one issue. The fact that Yang does not have a mechanical arm. I did once say that I hate the idea of Yang with a mechanical arm. While that remains true, I hate the idea of Rooster Teeth leaving her without any sort of new arm even more. Seriously, when will you guys stop torturing Yang? The entire second half of Volume 3 was pretty much just a giant slap in the face to her anyway. Are you guys at RT still not done? Seriously?!**

 **Anyway, in spite of the new designs, and the fact that it was confirmed that several months pass between the events of Volumes 3 and 4, none of that will factor into this story at all. With one exception: I will be attempting to incorporate some of Ruby's new moves into the later chapters of this story. But aside from that, nothing. I already have a set idea of what I want to do with this story, and it does not include _any_ of what's been confirmed for Volume 4 at this point. **

**For those of you still reading this author's note, I want to play a little game with you. It's called 'Spot the _RWBY Chibi_ ' references. Go back and read through the chapter again, and try and spot all the references to the Chibi show I put in. I counted 4. Can you find them all?**

 **Last note, the next chapter will center around the adventures of Ruby and her friends while actually _inside_ Haven. Unfortunately, I don't see the next chapter going up anytime soon. Oh well. So until then, don't forget to be good and keep moving forward. Au Revoir!**


	11. Haven Adventures

**Welcome back, everyone. I know it's been a while since I last posted, and I'm sorry. But I'm done being so lazy. I feel like I've put this off for far too long. It's high time I started writing again. So I'm going to. Let's see what happens.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _Just outside Haven Academy_ *

 ***** _Petey's P.O.V_ *****

* * *

"Now that we have finally arrived at our destination, what is it you intend to do, Ruby?"

"We go in, and we find the bad guys, wherever they are, and we stop them. But we can't just go in like this. We need to blend in. We have to like ninjas, all sneaky and stuff. Anyone got cool black suits?"

"Wouldn't a more logical idea be to just steal a few Haven Academy uniforms? I believe that would make us appear less conspicuous than a sneaking suit."

"Oh yeah. That does sound like a better idea. Good thinking, Petey."

However, the question remains, where do we acquire Haven Academy uniforms? Where is it that they are kept? Perhaps if we can locate the school Laundromat. But where? This place isn't anything like Beacon.

"I say we split up. Jaune, Ren, Nora, you go look for some uniforms inside. Petey, you come with me."

I suppose that this is a fair idea. We are more likely to cover more ground if we separate. Plus, I finally get a moment alone with Ruby. Perhaps this is an ideal opportunity to receive answers to my questions regarding our supposed enemies.

"So Ruby, what is it that makes you so certain that Vale's assailants have arrived here?"

"My Uncle Qrow told me that the bad guy's trail led here. Plus, before the festival, I talked with Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. They said that they were students from Mistral."

"That's another thing, how do you know for certain that those fellows are our adversaries? I mean, I am aware that your sister did a number on Mercury's leg and all, but still."

"Well, that's just it Petey, I don't think she did. Remember back when I talked with you, and I convinced you that Yang was innocent?"

"Yes, I recall."

Where could Ruby possibly be going with this? What could she mean?

"Well, right after that, I had a short talk with my friend Velvet. And after _that,_ I went to watch the next match. Once I got there, I saw Emerald in the audience."

"Wait what? I was under the impression that their entire team returned here to Mistral following Yang's supposed assault."

"Yeah, I know. I heard that too, but it was her. And right after, I ran right into Mercury. And he was walking!"

"Are you serious, Ruby? It was truly him?"

How could he have been moving about so soon after supposedly having his leg broken? Prosthetics, perhaps? But then, why was he still in Vale? None of this adds up whatsoever.

"Yep, it was him alright. I tried to fight him, but I got my butt kicked. By the time I got away, I had just seen Penny… when she… * _sob_ *"

"Calm yourself, Ruby. It's alright. It shall be alright. I promise."

"Th-thanks, Petey."

At least _I'm_ able to provide comfort to my lovely young girlfriend. It truly breaks my heart, seeing her so distraught. We really must bring down the nefarious bastards that have terrorized everyone in Vale. However, there is one more question that I would like answered. Perhaps Ruby knows.

"One last thing, do you perhaps know what happened to the dragon-like Grimm that still resides on Beacon tower? I, personally, don't believe it to be dead. All I recall is a brilliant silver light emitting from the top of the tower toward the end of the battle."

"Actually, that was me."

"I'm sorry, but _what?_ "

How could that possibly have been Ruby? I was under the impression that her semblance was speed. Not the ability to create shining lights or freeze Grimm in their tracks.

"Well, I was trying to get to the top of the tower and save my friend Pyrrha, who was fighting Cinder. But I was too late. All I saw was Pyrrha getting k-killed. * _sniff_ * After that, I just remember a bright light, and then, poof. Nothing. Next thing I knew, I was at home."

"That doesn't quite answer my question, though."

"Well, here's how my Uncle Qrow explained it to me. He told me that silver eyes, like mine, are rare in Remnant. He told me that people with silver eyes are special, that we were meant to be warriors. He said that the Grimm are scared of people like us. Like me."

"So because of your silver eyes, you have extraordinary abilities. Abilities such as incapacitating an enormous Grimm with just one glance. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Well, I suppose at this point, I'm willing to believe anything. Especially since that creature is currently frozen on top of Beacon Tower, and Ruby is currently right next to me, unharmed. Well, now I know that her eyes are much more than just lovely to look at. Perhaps that could prove useful in our future battles with the Grimm. Or perhaps even with our battles with creatures other than the Grimm.

Hold on, is that a laundry hamper? Now here is an ideal place to begin our search for uniforms.

"Ruby, look there. I believe that we shall locate the uniforms we seek in there."

"I think you're right, Petey. Let's go. Y'know, I hope whoever's uniforms we're stealing doesn't miss them."

"I wouldn't concern yourself if I were you, Ruby. It's likely that they make several spare uniforms in the event that one should go missing."

Now that we have our uniforms, what direction shall we be headed in? Perhaps heading inside would make a feasible starting point.

"Let's go inside and start there."

"Good idea, Petey."

* * *

* _inside Haven, sometime later_ *

I can't believe it's been two days since we began our search for Cinder and her allies, and nothing has turned up. Then again, how could I be so foolish as to believe that this would be easy? There are still a great many places we haven't looked yet.

"Where should we head now, Ruby?"

"I dunno. I guess we just try another classroom."

Well, it's not like we have any better options at our disposal. I just hope no one discovers that we are not truly Haven students while we are here. Then again, I suppose that if Cinder and her fraction were able to do the same thing whilst infiltrating Beacon, there is no reason to doubt whether or not we can do the same. Wait, here's a classroom. Let us begin today's search here.

"Come on, Ruby, in here. With luck, our opponents are amongst these students. Let's make for the last row. Back there is where we are least likely to draw attention to ourselves."

"Good idea."

I wonder what exactly this class is. From the appearance of the room, I am quite certain that this is something resembling a combat training class. I doubt that our enemies would be here. I guess we attempt to locate them elsewhere, I guess.

* _Bell ringing_ *

Damn. I suppose Ruby and I have no choice than remain here for the duration of the class. Lovely. Let's just hope that the time that this class takes is minimal at best.

"Welcome back, class. For today's class we will have one or two up close practice matches to demonstrate what you all have learned thus far. Today we will have… Ms. Atlan and… Ms. Piztachio."

This woman looks quite familiar. Who is she? Did my team face her in the Tournament earlier this year? No wait. Now I recall. This is the leader of the team Ruby faced in the initial rounds of the Tournament. If she and her team were not capable of besting team RWBY, then I highly doubt that she shall best… what did the teacher say her name was again? Piztachio? Indeed. Let us just see how it is this little spar plays out.

"Hey, that girl on the right seems kinda familiar."

"Does she, Ruby? I don't believe I've ever seen this 'Piztachio' woman before."

Now I'm _especially_ interested to see how this plays out.

* _afterwards_ *

My word. How is it possible that Ms. Atlan hasn't landed one single, solitary hit on Piztachio? I didn't know it was feasible for someone so small to move so swiftly and evade an opponent in such a fantastic manner. Where on Remnant did she receive such training?

Hold on… What the hell was that? Did… Did Piztachio's eyes just change from green to brown? No wait, pink. Brown and pink! How is she able to change her eye color at will? Something is not right about this girl. I must find our more.

"Very good, Ms. Piztachio. As usual, you were untouchable. Exactly what all of you should strive to be out in the field. Alright class, that is it for the day. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Thank Oum that it's over. Now, I must follow this Piztachio girl.

"What are we gonna do now, Petey?"

"You go on ahead, Ruby. Try to locate Cinder. There's…something that I wish to investigate. I'll catch up. Go on without me."

"… Alright, then. See you later."

Now to follow this 'Piztachio' woman. What is it about her that puts me so on edge? Think, Lucenay. Perhaps something Ruby said earlier will provide you with something resembling a clue. She did say that Piztachio looks familiar. Let's see, um…

" _'Exquisite, exemplary presence'. Is that some sort of fancy gift you give someone at a wedding?_ "

No, not that!

" _Do you have some sort of funny sounding hair condition like danufillia?_ "

No no no! Not that either!

" _I don't think anyone can bond with their weapon unless they give it a cool name._ "

Ah, dammit! Why can't I find what I'm looking for? Wait, what is that smell? Good Oum, what kind of perfume is Piztachio wearing? It smells strongly of … chocolate and strawberry ice cream. What a peculiar choice for perfume. Hold on a second… Ice cream, ice cream. Hmm…

" _I fought with Roman Torchwick and his dumb little ice cream servant._ "

Of course! This could very well be the henchwoman of Torchwick's that Ruby mentioned earlier. I must find out for sure. Well, here goes nothing.

"Excuse me, Miss … Piztachio, is it? I just wished to say, that was a marvelous battle back there. You did quite well against Ms. Atlan."

"…"

"You're not very much of a talker, now are you?"

"…"

Focus, Petey. Get to speaking about Torchwick.

"That's quite alright. Although, if there were one individual that I wish were mute, it would be that dastardly criminal, Roman Torchwick."

Aha! She cannot hide that shocked look from me! She must not enjoy it when someone speaks ill of her deceased boss in front of her. Well then, I suppose it's time to piss her off.

"Yes, every time I heard him speak, it sounded similar to a Beowolf's claws on a chalkboard. It was atrocious. I'm truly quite happy that he is no longer amongst the living."

"?!"

She doesn't seem to be aware of Torchwick's demise. Odd. No matter, I shall take great pleasure in informing her of his death.

"Indeed. I heard from a reliable source that he was devoured whole by a Grimm some months ago. I can't imagine that Torchwick had a very pleasant taste on him. Probably gave the poor Grimm a terrible case of indigestion. Possibly diarrhea as well."

"* _muted growl_ *"

"And don't even get me started on how he looked. His appearance was just as dreadful as his voice and taste. I mean, what kind of man wears eyeliner? What a freak! Hahahahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* _Piztachio angrily kicks Petey out a window_ *

OUCH! Alright, that was actually quite painful. At least my suspicions are now confirmed. She IS Torchwick's servant!

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Once they were both outside, Piztachio shed her disguise, revealing herself to be none other than the silent killer, Neopolitan.

"So, this is your true form, is it? Not very flattering, if I do say so myself." Petey said.

Neo drew her parasol and Petey did the same to his flail as the two prepared to fight. Petey made the first move, running toward Neo and swinging his flail at her. She gracefully jumped over him and kicked him in the back before landing.

Petey got up and continued their fight. He swung his flail several times, but Neo jumped out of the way each time, until she kicked him in the face and did a backflip, landing on the grass and taking a seat.

When Petey regained his senses, he saw Neo just sitting on the ground, waiting for him. He looked at her, as if waiting for her to do something.

"Well, come on! Come at me, ice cream bitch!" He shouted.

When she didn't move, Petey growled at her, then turned his flail around and shot at her. When his bullet hit her, she simply shattered like she was made of glass. The byproduct of Neo's semblance. The real Neo was nowhere to be seen.

This left Petey extremely confused. How could his enemy have just disappeared like that? He looked around for any sign of her. He couldn't see her. But then, Petey's sensitive dog ears caught what sounded like a small sword being removed from its sheath. He then heard a 'woosh', before immediately jumping away from where he was.

When he looked back, he saw Neo standing at the spot he was just in, with her parasol, pointed blade and all, jammed into the ground. She removed her parasol and went on attacking Petey. She ran toward him and sent several kicks and punches his way. Petey did his best to dodge them, but she still got a few solid hits in. She ended her blows with a backflip kick to his chest, sending him back several feet.

Once Petey got up, all he saw was Neo standing a few feet in front of him, with a smirk on her face and a wink. Petey was furious at this point. He was not able to land one hit on his opponent, and that infuriated him greatly. He angrily ran toward her and started swinging his flail wildly in her direction as she continued to dodge.

"Hold. Still. You. Stupid. Ugly. Little. Bitch!" He said in between swings of the flail.

Neo gracefully avoided every swing of Petey's flail. Then she jumped behind him and grabbed hold of his flail from behind his back. She held the flail's staff in place right at Petey's neck, effectively chocking him. As he was gasping for air, he tried getting her to let go of him and his weapon, but to no avail. Eventually, she did a backflip, making Petey land flat on his face, with Neo standing right next to him.

Petey didn't have very much aura left in him, much less energy. Neo drew her blade from her parasol and prepared to finish him off. Petey tried to get up, but only saw Neo prepare her blade for a strike. He prepared for the worst.

"Go ahead and do it, already. At least my demise will be significantly less painful than Torchwick's was." Petey said.

At the mention of her boss's name, however, Neo froze. She just stood there picturing Roman's demise as Petey had described it earlier.

Petey took advantage of the distraction and swung at Neo's feet, knocking her to the ground and her parasol flying out of her hand. He got up and grabbed his weapon and prepared to continue the fight, only this time, he went with a different strategy.

"Yeah, I can only possibly imagine the torment he must have endured in the belly of the beast. Though, again, it was likely harder on the Grimm than it was him. It was likely agony attempting to digest such a foul man." Petey said.

Neo's expression turned angry as she charged at Petey. He barely managed to evade her attack as he continued taunting her dead boss.

"I will say this for him, though. He always did have quite a sense of fashion on him. But do tell, did he ever buy his jacket in a men's size? And did he ever style his hair like he wasn't an emo teenage girl, desperate for attention?"

This last statement got Neo really angry, and she began lunging at him. He managed to evade all her attacks and even got a few good hits in himself.

"Why did you even care for him at all? He struck me as the kind of person who didn't care for anyone but himself and his money. He likely never cared for anything else or anyone else. Least of all a stupid little ice cream girl such as yourself." Petey taunted.

By now, Neo had tears in the corners of her eyes, and she was gritting her teeth. She ran at Petey again and attacked him again. She punched him squarely in the jaw then kicked him in the chest, which knocked him to the ground. Luckily, Petey rolled out of the way and got up before she could land another attack. She tried throwing a few punches his way, but they were, surprisingly, poorly executed, thus Petey managed to dodge them all.

" _So, she becomes more predictable and less coordinated the angrier she gets, does she? Well then, I suppose it's time to play my trump card._ " Petey thought.

"What exactly was your relationship with that deplorable man, anyway? Was he possibly your father? Is that it? Sad to have lost your daddy? Or is it possible that you… dare I say it, _loved_ him?"

Neo started tearing up even more at that last statement, and that was all Petey needed.

"Oh my Oum, you did! That is just fantastic! It makes it all the more humorous for me. Do you really think, are you truly naïve enough, to believe that he could have possibly returned any sort of affection you had for him? I've seen his type before. He likely only saw you as hired help, and nothing more. Just someone to keep around until your usefulness wore out, then he would have cast you aside without a second thought. Besides, how could anyone, least of all a criminal such as Torchwick himself, possibly love a small, little, mute, bitchy, and annoying _child_ , like yourself?"

" ** _SHUT UP!_** " Neo suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs. She then recklessly charged at him, tears burning in her eyes. Fortunately, Petey anticipated her aimless attack and sidestepped out of the way.

Neo then landed flat on her face, and Petey decided to end the fight. He grabbed her, and then leapt into the air as high as his semblance would allow. Once they were high in the air, Petey threw her downward with as much force as possible. She fell to the ground like a meteor, while Petey landed without a problem.

Once Petey landed, he saw Neo in a crater, unconscious, and deprived of any aura, but still alive. At that moment, Petey noticed that there was a large crowd of Haven students that were watching the fight. Once the staff showed up as well, several of the students explained what they saw, and Neo was taken away. Petey then went off to find Ruby (and some medical care).

* * *

* _the next day, Haven mess hall_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Wow, I can't believe you beat her, Petey! I thought she was untouchable!"

"I thought that at first as well, Ruby. However, it turns out she is just as susceptible to mistakes as anyone else. You need only find out how to provoke them into making said mistakes. Everybody has a weakness, and it is always possible to exploit it, once you discover what it is."

I guess I never thought of it like that. Is it really true that everyone has a weakness that you can take advantage of? I really wish I'd known that when I fought with Mercury back at the colosseum. Do I have a weakness? Well, I am kinda helpless without my Crescent Rose. Maybe I should work on that. Does Cinder have a weakness? What is it? Where is she, anyway? I really hope we can find her.

* _Petey's scroll goes off_ *

Huh? Is that my scroll or Petey's? Oh, it's Petey's.

"What is it, Petey?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Ruby. It's merely a message from Ren stating… he found Mercury. Perhaps you actually _should_ concern yourself with this."

WHAT?! They found Mercury?! I can't believe it! Maybe we can finally end this. Take down the bad guys. I wanna get him so bad! And this time, I won't be so helpless.

Then again, I should finish this food first. I can't fight on an empty tummy. Maybe that's another one of my weaknesses, food. Especially these strawberry cookies we got for dessert.

"You go on ahead, Petey. I'll catch up."

"Are you certain, Ruby?"

"C'mon, this is me we're talking about. You think I can't catch up just because you got a little head start?"

"You make a valid point, Ruby. Very well, just please do not take too long, alright?"

"Ok, Petey."

It would be such a shame to let these cookies go to waste. Yummy. I always could go through food pretty fast. Well, I gotta go catch up with Petey and get Mercury.

Wait, who is that there? She looks so familiar. She looks like… like… CINDER!

It's Cinder! She really is here! I can't believe that she's actually here! What is she doing? Is she going outside? I gotta follow her. What is she planning? What will she do? Hopefully nothing, if I can stop her, all I need to do is sneak up behind her aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand…

* _Cinder strikes Ruby_ *

"So, red, you actually managed to find me. I'm impressed. But don't worry, you won't live to tell the tale. I'll send your ashes beck to Vale, though."

If she thinks I'm gonna go down that easy, she's crazy. Let's see how she reacts when she gets to personally say hi to my precious Crescent Rose. Let's do this!

* _Ruby deflects an arrow shot by Cinder, then charges at her, only to be knocked back_ *

Ouch, that really hurt. Why did I go down that easy? She's a lot stronger than I thought. Maybe I should have called for help. Ooooowwwwww!

"Pathetic. Is that really all you got? I hope you die knowing that everything you love has either been destroyed, or will be destroyed very shortly."

Oh, man. This is it! She got me. I'm going to miss all of you! Yang, Weiss, Blake, Petey. How did it come to this? I'm going to die, now!

* **Bang** *

"I haven't been destroyed yet, you bow wielding bitch!"

Wait, that blast. That voice. C-could it really be…? How did she get all the way out here?!

"Y-Yang? Is that you?"

* _Yang hugs Ruby_ *

"Oh Ruby, thank Monty you're alright. I'm so sorry for the way I acted. I never meant to drive you away. Are you hurt? Do you need help?"

It's been so long since I got one of my sister's bear hugs. I never thought that I would miss them so much. But it feels so nice to have my sister's arms around me again. Wait, 'arms'? Since when did Yang have 2 arms again? And where did she get that scar?

"Yang, your, your arm. H-how did you…?"

"Oh, right. I got it all patched up. It's a long story. I'll tell you later."

Well, OK, I guess! It's just so good to see Yang again! And she got her arm back! Yay! She won't be sad anymore!

"Well, isn't this nice? Now you two can die together, and fully armed as well."

How dare Cinder say something like that! It's time for one of our Super Ultimate Awesome Sister Attacks of Doom! Yang and I haven't done that since before she left Signal.

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Yang immediately started shooting at Cinder. While Yang was shooting, Ruby activated her semblance and got behind Cinder. She then started shooting a few rounds at Cinder. Due to her power, however, they failed to kill Cinder, but still got her attention. The Fall Maiden sent 2 balls of flames at both sisters, who barely managed to jump out of the way.

Cinder shot several more bursts of flame at Yang and Ruby, who continued to dodge. Once they were together, Cinder made two walls of flame trapping the sisters.

"I had hoped for more of a fight, oh well, at least you have proven to be entertaining."

With that, Cinder called down a lightning strike, and aimed it at Yang and Ruby. The sisters grabbed each other, preparing for death by electrocution.

But before the lightning could hit them, a glyph appeared between the sisters and the lightning bolt. Another glyph came and summoned a large sword, knocking Cinder to the ground. That could only mean one thing.

"Weiss, is that you?" Ruby asked.

"Please, do you really think I would miss this? Of course not, you dolt!" Weiss said.

Yang then said "Alright, princess, glad you could make it. But how did you get out of Atlas?"

"Come on, Yang. You should know that there isn't a place in Remnant that can hold a Schnee for long."

Cinder then got up again and prepared to attack.

"Well, well. The child, the heiress, and the bimbo. All that's left is your emo cat friend and your failure is complete."

Cinder then launched another lightning bolt at the three of them. It was blocked by another glyph, and then Ruby shouted,

"Freezerburn!"

Weiss used some earth dust to make a large rock, and Yang punched it toward Cinder. Cinder used her own powers to destroy the rock, but was still hit by several large fragments. Yang then jumped up and attempted to punch Cinder, but she simply knocked Yang down with a burst of her powers, sending the blonde girl into a crater.

Unfortunately, Cinder did not know that she had only made Yang stronger. Ruby then came up with another plan.

"Weiss, distract her!"

Weiss did as she was told, shooting several rounds of dust at Cinder and turning her attention away from the sisters. Once Yang pulled herself out of the crater, Ruby shouted,

"Sunflower!"

Yang then picked up Ruby and threw her toward Cinder with all the strength she could muster. Once the scythe wielder was close, she swung Crescent Rose at Cinder, making a sizeable cut into her back. Cinder grunted in pain as Ruby landed gracefully on he feet.

"Enough of these childish games!" Cinder shouted. She mustered up a great deal of her maiden power and pooled it into a large arrow aimed at the three girls.

"Farewell, you annoying pests, I would say it's been a pleasure, but that would be a lie."

Before Cinder's hand let go of the bow string, a katana swiped at her legs, causing her grip to falter, and the arrow to go above the heads of Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. The three girls looked at what it was that struck Cinder, and they saw a black haired girl with a bow atop her head.

"Blake? Is that you?"

"I had heard of a possible lead at Haven Academy, but I didn't expect to see anyone I knew here." Blake said.

"Alright! Team RWBY is back together again!" Ruby shouted excitedly.

"Perhaps, but you won't be together for long." Cinder said.

With that, Cinder shot several arrows at all 4 girls, who instantly dodged. Ruby then came up with another plan.

"Checkmate!"

Blake and Weiss ran forward, and Weiss handed Blake a new dust clip. Weiss used her glyphs as stepping stones in order to strike Cinder from multiple angles. The Fall Maiden was having a hard time keeping up with the heiress. At the same time, Blake used her ninja skills to strike Cinder, and after each strike, used her semblance to get back on the ground and strike again. Every time Cinder tried to strike Blake, it was just a shadow clone made of dust, which exploded, causing more damage to her, making Cinder fall to the ground.

"Ladybug!"

Blake and Ruby locked arms, and they ran forward as fast as Ruby's semblance would allow. Once they were right next to Cinder, they both swung their respective weapons at her. When Cinder tried to strike them back, they simply vanished. Shadow clones. The 2 girls' semblances combined proved to be a devastating combination. Ruby and Blake repeated the process several times until Cinder fell to her knees.

"I… will not… allow myself… to lose… to a bunch… of worthless brats!" Cinder screamed as she got back on her feet. It was at this point Ruby decided to play her ultimate trump card.

"Alright girls, let's do this. Pollination!"

Cinder put up a fight to the best of her ability, but all 4 girls were attacking her from multiple angles, and Cinder had already lost a great deal of aura. It all ended when Ruby swung her scythe at Cinder's face, leaving an ugly scar and depleting the last of her aura.

"Alright! We did it girls! We beat her!" Yang exclaimed.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

I can't believe we did it! Cinder's beaten! We beat the bad guys! Who knows what other terrible things they would have done if it weren't for us?

"Yes, good job Yang. And you too, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake."

Wait, is that Yang's boyfriend? It is. I can't believe he's here, too. And Jaune, Ren, and Nora are here, too. But wait, where's _my_ boyfriend? Where's Petey?

"Hey Jaune? Where's Petey?"

"Huh, I don't know. He was here just a moment ago."

What? How could he have just fallen behind like that? Is he alright? What could have happened to him?!

Oh, there he is. Thank goodness. I guess I was worrying over nothing. What took him so long?

"Petey! There you are! Where were you?"

"You needn't fret, Ruby. I was merely having a word with some soldiers of Vacuo's military that just so happen to be here. They were apprehending Mercury and his associate, Emerald. I had to make sure they also retrieved their little ice cream themed accomplice that I defeated yesterday. Evidently, her name is 'Neo', or at least, that is what Mercury said before he was silenced by the soldiers. Never mind me, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to follow me in apprehending Mercury and Emerald."

"Oh, well, I kinda ran into Cinder and started to fight her. Them my sister and my old team showed up and we took her down. Now we just have to lock her up, too. You said there were Vacuo soldiers here?"

"Now we just have to call them again so the ringleader here can be arrested."

Uhh, yeah. What Yang's boyfriend just said. Wait, how did he know that there were soldiers here? Was he listening in on our conversation? Or was he talking to Yang?

"Ringleader? You think I'm the leader?"

Wait, Cinder's _not_ the one in charge? Then who is? Mercury? That Neo girl? Maybe that Adam guy Petey mentioned earlier?

"Oh no, I am not the one in charge. The real 'ringleader' is much worse. You will never beat her. LONG LIVE… * _incoherent babbling_ *"

Whoa! Where did Yang's boyfriend get a taser?

"What? Why are you all looking at me like that? So what if I tased her? She was getting on my nerves."

Really? He couldn't have at least waited until she told us who the big bad guy is? C'mon, dude.

"Personally, I believe Mr. Vremeni did the right thing."

Hold on, is that…? Where did he come from? How did Professor Ozpin get here? Oh well, I guess this means we'll be going back to Beacon soon. It's about time.

* * *

* _Later, outside a rebuilt Beacon Academy_ *

Phew. I'm glad to have the school back. Things can finally go back to the way they were. The way they should be. I hope we never have to do something like this again.

"It's gonna be nice to have things back to the way they were, huh Petey?"

"That is where you are incorrect, Ruby. Things will never truly go back to the way they were. We are no longer the optimistic youths who thought we could take on the world. We all received a harsh lesson about how unforgiving the real world truly can be. From here on out, it's only going to get harder."

Oh, well, I guess he's right. It's going to be a long time before we're ready to take on what really lies ahead of us. We still have a lot to learn.

"Well, as long as I have my team, my friends, and my you, Petey, I'm sure we can find a way to beat whatever the unforgiving world wants to throw at us."

"Indeed Ruby. As long as we stand united, the forces of darkness in this world shall never overtake us. And there's no one I'd rather face it with than you."

"I feel the same way Petey. I hope you and I stay close for a long time."

* _hugs Petey_ *

"I'm quite certain we will, Ruby. You truly are one of the most exquisite creatures on this planet. Very kind, very smart, and very beautiful, as well. What I mean to say is, well… I believe that I am in love with you, Ruby."

WHAT?! Is he serious? He is! Well, he is kinda my boyfriend. But how do I feel? How _do_ I feel? I feel… I feel really good. What is this feeling?

Is… is this really…?

"I… uhh… I think… I think I love you too, Petey."

"Then, you would not mind if I were to do this?"

* _Petey kisses Ruby_ *

"Nope."

* _they resume kissing_ *

* * *

 **And it's done! It's finally done! At long, long last, I'm done with this chapter!**

 **I'm really sorry that it took so long for me to get up. Truly I am. I really have no excuse as to why it took so long. All I can say is, I hope all my future chapters don't take as long. But don't hold your breath.**

 **In regard to the fight with Neo, I know there are probably some of you that are wondering why (or more likely, are upset that) she lost. Well, this is my story and I'll do what I want! Besides, despite what many of you might think, Neo's not perfect. She is capable of being caught by surprise, and she is capable of feeling fear. Therefore, it stands to reason that she can also feel sadness or anger. Ultimately, that was her downfall here. Angry fighters aren't usually smart fighters. Just look what happened when an angry Yang went up against Adam. But fret not, Neo fans. She shall make another appearance in a later chapter of this story. And I plan on making her a significantly tougher opponent that time around.**

 **Also, with the fight of RWBY vs Cinder, I kinda copied it from my other story. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want this chapter to be focused solely on Neo and Petey. I believe I once said there would be some crossovers between this story and my other one, but not like this. Rest assured, I won't do it again. Any and all cross references between my two stories in the future will be small. Also, sorry if the ending was kinda sappy. I'll try to keep the sappiness to a minimum from now on.**

 **All that aside, how was this chapter? I would appreciate some feedback. But please be nice. I WILL NOT tolerate flames. Any and all flames WILL be extinguished.**

 **Until I decide to post the next chapter, which hopefully will take less than a month and a half this time, see ya around. Aloha!**


	12. Final Exam

**What is good in the hood? I have returned for yet another chapter, at long long last. Let's hope it's a good one.**

 **Even if it isn't, rest assured that starting next chapter, things are going to get a bit more interesting. I won't give anything away, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it.**

 **Well, with that out of the way, it's time to get yet another chapter over and done with.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _Set 3 and a half years after Cinder's defeat at Haven Academy_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

* * *

"Why do you guys think Ozpin wants all of us in the auditorium?"

"I dunno, Rubes. Probably wants to make some sort of announcement."

What kind of announcement could he possibly make that he can't make later? We graduate in, like, a month. And why does it have to be so early in the morning? We haven't even had breakfast yet. I'm hungry. What could really be more important than food? Well, I guess we're about to find out.

"Good morning, students. Now I'm sure you're all wondering why I've summoned you here. The reason being, it is time for your final exams."

What?! Final exams already? But, we still have, like, a month. Why is it now?

"As soon to be graduating students, as soon to be huntsmen and huntresses, it is time to put all that you have learned to the ultimate test. Each one of you will be sent on an extremely dangerous mission. A mission that will push you to your absolute limits. A mission that will expose you to the real world you shall face as huntsmen and huntresses. A mission that will require you to use all of the knowledge that you have acquired over your time here at Beacon Academy. A mission that you will be executing without any supervision."

Wait, what? We're not working with a real huntsmen or huntress this time? Why not? Well, I guess it won't always be like that when we actually become Huntresses.

"Upon completion of said mission, you will return here to Beacon Academy. If you come back intact, and with all mission parameters met, you will have passed your exams and will be granted the rank of official huntsmen and huntresses. However, failure to do so, will result in either your team being held back for a whole year, or your outright expulsion."

Oh, so this is our final exam? A mission? Alright! All we gotta do is pass this, and we'll finally be huntresses! Oh, I'm so excited!

"Now be warned, as I have said, these missions will be extremely dangerous. Many of these missions will take you far from the kingdom, and for long periods of time. If you do not use all that you have learned, you _will_ die. Now, due to an alarming amount of Grimm activity reported outside the kingdom walls, it has been decided that all teams will work with another team of their own choosing."

Wow! We get to work with someone else, too? Awesomeness! But who should we work with? So many choices. Well, I do have one idea. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

"While working with another team, you must look out for one another, for it is the nature of huntsmen and huntresses to protect those who cannot protect themselves, even if it is another huntsman or huntress. Also, it should be noted that if one team fails, so does the other, so I suggest that you choose a team that you can work well with. Once you have selected which team you will accompany on these missions, report to me, and in exactly one weeks' time, you will be given your mission and head out. I wish all of you the best of luck on these missions. Now then, teams, pair up."

"Alright, who should we work with?"

"Well, I personally think we should work with Team MAPL. They're a tough group."

"As if, Yang. You only want to work with them so you can be with your boyfriend. They hardly seem like the type we would _all_ work well with. Plus, it looks like they're already taken. See?"

"What?! Pov, no! Ugh, fine. Who would you suggest, ice queen?"

"Personally, I believe that we should work with Team JNPR. We _have_ known them the longest, after all."

"Sorry Weiss, Yang, but I'm team leader, so I get to decide who we work with. Besides, even after all this time, I still can't get used to that other girl that was put on their team after Pyrrha died."

"Well, you got us there, Ruby. Who would you suggest, then?"

"I say we team up with Team PRTI."

"What?! What did I _just_ say to Yang, Ruby? We can't work with them just so you can be with your boyfriend. We need to think rationally about this."

"What? No. That's not it at all, Weiss. I think we should work with them because they're all really smart, and they fight good, and um…"

What else should I say? Think, think, think!

"They're smart?"

That was dumb. Why did I say that? Ah well, not gonna change my mind about this.

"Ruby, I…"

"Then it's decided! I'm gonna go see if they're still available. Be right back."

* _Ruby zooms away_ *

"You dolt! Get back here!"

Phew, that was close. I hope Petey and his team haven't chosen anyone else yet. I think we'll work pretty well with them. I work pretty well with Petey, that's for sure. Ozpin did say to find someone that we can work well with. Aha! There they are!

"Hi, Petey."

"Good day to you as well, Ruby. What might I do for you?"

"Well, I was just wondering if your team has chosen to work with anyone else, yet."

"Not quite yet. Why do you inquire as such?"

"Well, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to work with me and my team. We don't have anyone else, either."

"What a splendid idea, Ruby. We'd love to have Team RWBY be our counterparts for this mission."

"Alright, cool! We're going to be so awesome together! It's gonna be like, the best team team-up in the history of ever!"

"Oh Ruby. It's been over 3 years since we originally became acquainted with each other, and still you're just as innocent as the day we met. I hope you never change."

"I don't think I ever will. Anyways, I gotta go tell my team that we're working with you guys. Bye!"

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Magnificent. I don't believe there's anyone we'll cooperate better with than Ruby and her team. Our huntsmen and huntress licenses are all but guaranteed at this point.

"Uh, Petey, are you sure that this is the best idea, man? I mean, did you just say yes so you could be with your girl?"

"Nonsense! Don't be absurd, Rouge. I decided to agree since Team RWBY has an astonishing track record. Each one of them is a remarkable fighter in their own right, plus they are among those with the best grades in our entire class level. With them at our side, they may as well hand deliver us our huntsmen licenses immediately. Plus, need I remind you that they personally brought down Cinder Fall 3 years ago, stopping a plot that could have terminated all of us from existence? In any case, I must inform Ozpin that we have elected to work with Team RWBY. I'll see you all at breakfast. Farewell."

What a relief. I mustn't let my team get the impression that Rouge is correct. Even if he somewhat is.

NO! Stop it! Don't think like that. Yes, I'd find great pleasure in being with Ruby more, but still, her team is a capable one. We will work well together. We need only solidify our alliance by speaking to Ozpin.

"Excuse me, Professor?"

"Yes, Mr. Lucenay, what is it?"

"I just wish to inform you that my team and I have decided to work with Team RWBY for our mission."

"Very well then. Team PRTI and Team RWBY are now a group. Report back here in a week and you will be given your mission."

"Thank you, Professor."

* * *

* _the next day, in the city of Vale_ *

Now, what provisions shall we need for our upcoming mission? The list says we shall need reserve food rations, extra ammunition, and other camping supplies if necessary. * _sigh_ * Why did my sleeping bag have to be devoured by a Grimm last month? No matter, at least now I have Ruby with me to help me acquire the necessary supplies.

"Where should we start, Petey?"

"I'm not entirely certain, Ruby. Hey look, there's a camping store. Perhaps we should begin there."

This looks like a fine establishment. I hope we find everything that we require here.

"Hello, welcome to Camper Campbell. I'm Cameron Campbell. What can I do for…"

Why is he giving me such a strange look? It there something on my face? Is there something wrong with Ruby?

"Hey, we don't serve your kind here."

Oh dear Oum, not one of these kinds.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"What does _that_ mean?"

"It means I don't want a filthy animal in my store. If you're going out into the woods or something, he should just sleep on the ground like mutts usually do. Now get the hell out of here, you stupid Faunus."

WHAT?! How DARE he say such mean things to Petey! Wait 'til I get my hands on him!

"How could you say such things to him?! You're the stupid one! Wait 'til I get over there!"

"Ruby, no. Violence and harsh words are hardly the answer in this scenario. We mustn't stoop to this man's level. Let's simply leave. This business is scarcely worth our time or effort."

How can he be so clam in this kind of situation? I know I wouldn't be if I were him. But still, maybe he's right. I shouldn't fight.

"Alright, let's go, Petey."

"Yeah, that's right, get out of here, mutt. Also, be sure to keep a closer hold on your friend's leash next time, girlie."

Oh, that's it! I'm going to…!

"Ruby, no. You're better than that."

"But Petey, how can you deal with it when people say things like that to you?"

"Truthfully, I spent a great deal of my early adolescence hearing similar things from my peers on a near daily basis. You grow accustomed to it rather quickly."

That's horrible! How could anyone say such hurtful things to him? What did he ever do to them? Just because he has dog ears? It makes me so sad.

"I'm so sorry, Petey. Really I am. I really hope that one day, people stop saying things like that to you. I want people to see you for the super smart and nice guy you are."

"Thank you, Ruby. Your support alone means more to me than you can possibly imagine. I love you, my dearest little rose."

* _they kiss_ *

"I love you too!"

* * *

* _next week. Beacon Auditorium_ *

I can't believe the day is finally here! We're finally getting our mission! After this, we're finally huntresses.

"Teams RWBY and PRTI, come forward please."

Oh boy, here we go!

"You will be conducting a search and rescue mission. I've sent the details to your scrolls, Ms. Rose, Mr. Lucenay. You depart in an hour. Best of luck to you."

"Thank you, Professor."

Alright, let's see what we got.

 _Mission: Search and Rescue_

 _Description: Twins David and Gwen Campbell were abducted from their home 4 days ago by unknown assailants and taken outside the kingdom._

 _Area: Quadrant 9_

 _Grimm Activity Level: 7_

 _Parameters:_

 _Clear out all Grimm_

 _Rescue kidnap victims_

 _Retrieve bodies if necessary_

 _Apprehend kidnappers_

 _Update: Cameron Campbell, father of David and Gwen, also reported missing 2 days ago. Likely gone in search of children. Must retrieve him as well._

 _Good luck_

 _Professor Ozpin_

Wait, isn't that the name of the guy who said all those mean things to Petey last week? That's the guy we gotta save now? I got a bad feeling about this.

* * *

* _inside quadrant 9_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Alright, now that we have arrived at our destination, where should we begin? Perhaps with seeking clues on the children's disappearance.

"Fan out. We should attempt to locate clues as to the whereabouts of young David and Gwen."

Let's see, what did the children look like? Why did they not provide us with pictures when they gave us our mission? That would have been a great asset. Wait, what is that?

"Over here. I believe I have located something of note."

What exactly is this? It appears to be some sort of locket. But what could 'C.C' stand for? 'Cameron Campbell' perhaps? If so, it's comforting to know that we are heading in the correct direction.

"What is that, Petey?"

"I believe it's some sort of locket. Look there, it has the initials 'C.C' carved on the front. I presume it belongs to the very Mr. Campbell we've been tasked to retrieve. Certainly smells like him."

"The hell do you mean, Petey?"

"Well, Yang, you seem to forget that I am a Dog Faunus. My sense of smell is superior to that of the average human. Heck, even most other Faunus pale in comparison to us Dog Faunus when it comes to smell."

"Ok, but how do you know what the guy smells like?"

Oh, well, I suppose that is a legitimate query. I never did tell anyone else of that dreadful encounter. How foolish of me.

"Well, the day after Ruby and I decided to make an alliance with our teams for this mission, we went into town to gather the necessary supplies. I'm sure she recalls, don't you, Ruby?"

"Yeah, I do."

What's with her agitated tone of voice? Ah, she must be remembering all the deplorable things that son of a bitch said to me. Oum, I just want to…!

No. Stop it. Don't think like that, Petey. If you do, you're no better than him. No better than your cousin, either. Just as discriminatory and despicable. I refuse to be like that.

"Anyway, we entered a store run by the very same Mr. Campbell that we are supposed to rescue. However, he refused us service on the grounds of me being a Faunus."

"Damn, that's terrible. We're really sorry, man."

"Thank you, Thomas. I appreciate your sentiment."

At least I'm surrounded by people who wouldn't dare treat me the same way I was treated by Campbell.

* _roars_ *

Wait, what was that? Was that a pack of Grimm?

"Did anyone else hear that just now?"

"Hear what?"

"I didn't hear anything."

"I heard it."

At least Ruby's friend Blake was able to pick up on it. Sometimes, it really pays off having an additional set of ears such as mine, or hers. Even if she does cover hers with a bow. In any case, I must investigate this noise, in the event it turns out to be Grimm.

"I'll be back momentarily. I must discover the source of that noise. It could be Grimm."

* _Petey uses his semblance to jump into a tree_ *

There, now with much better leverage, I have a much clearer view of the area. Now, what direction was that detestable noise coming from? I believe that it originated due North, so…

Oh my, that's not good. That's not very good at all.

"Everyone! Ready your weapons! There are multiple packs of Grimm approaching our location!"

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

All members of Teams RWBY and PRTI readied themselves for battle as they saw the horrors that lied before them.

They were met by 5 large packs of Beowolfs, 2 packs of Ursas, a half pack of Beringels, a pack of Griffons flying overhead, 8 King Taijitus, a couple Goliaths, and a few Giant Nevermores.

"Call me crazy, but I think that that's more than a level seven on the Grimm scale." Rouge commented.

All 8 of them ran forward, ready to take on the Grimm.

Ruby was the first to attack a Grimm, slicing several Beowolfs down to size. She ran along with her scythe as fast as her semblance would allow, slicing and dicing all the Grimm in her path. She even began bouncing off trees in order to get around certain Grimm. When confronted with an Alpha Ursa, she simply kept running, split herself in 4, then reformed behind the large Grimm before decapitating it.

Ruby then went around to Weiss, who had her hands full with 2 of the King Taijitus. She didn't notice that a Goliath approaching her from behind. Luckily, Ruby did, and swiftly took it out by doing a front flip with her scythe, which decapitated the elephant-like beast. Ruby then proceeded to run forward and take on one of the King Taijitus. She ran up to the creature and stood there. When the white head of the snake tried to bite her, she jammed her scythe into the snake's open mouth. The tip of Crescent Rose could be seen protruding from the roof of the Grimm's mouth and the top of its head. Ruby then fired a few dust rounds into the snake, which made it all the way to the creature's other head, finally killing the King Taijitu.

However, just as Ruby began to catch her breath, she was smacked to the side by one of the Beringels. She was sent flying straight into a tree.

"OWW! Damn, that hurt!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hey, watch your mouth, Ruby!" Yang said as she was punching some Ursas.

"Yang, I'm 18 years old! I think I'm old enough to say bad words!" Ruby stated as she got back on her feet.

"Not around me, you're not." Was Yang's response.

Meanwhile, Weiss had her hands full with 2 King Taijitus. She used her glyphs to block one as it tried to bite her. With the Snake head relatively close to her, she jabbed her rapier into its eye. After repeating the process a few more times, the white head went down. But the black head still needed to be taken care of, so she jumped on top of the half dead Grimm and drew the attention of the other King Taijitu. When that snake attempted to bite her, Weiss simply jumped out of the way, and the snake's fangs dug into the black half of the first King Taijitu. The beast then died from the other snake's venom.

She still had one more King Taijitu to deal with, though. Weiss wondered how best to deal with the creature, when suddenly, an idea struck her. She jammed her sword into the ground and summoned a large glyph. All of a sudden, several white furred Beowolfs began crawling out of the glyph. Weiss had been doing much better with her summoning skills over the last 3 years. The Beowolfs began crawling all over the King Taijitu and began clawing and biting at it. The snake screamed in pain until it finally went down due to the unrelenting assault.

Blake was currently taking care of some of the Ursas. She ran toward them and began to cut them down, one by one. When she got close to one of them, she quickly decapitated it. Another one tried to claw at her, but she used her semblance to jump over the creature and let the shadow clone take the hit. As soon as the shadow clone disappeared, Blake stabbed the Ursa through the heart. She then turned her sword into a gun and threw it, ribbon and all, at another Ursa that was about to attack Thomas from behind. Once she had the beast good and secured she brought it toward her and killed it. Right then another one tried to swipe at her from behind, but Blake ducked out of the way and shot it point blank in the skull. She then did a backflip and sliced another Ursa clean in two.

However, one Ursa managed to sneak up on her, and by the time she noticed it, it swiped its clawed paw at her, and Blake fell to the ground. Fortunately, before the Usra could strike the final blow, Yang came in and rescued her partner. She punched the Ursa several times before finishing it up with an uppercut.

Yang then went after the Beringel that had dared to attack Ruby before. She ran for the creature, and punched it several times. Unfortunately, when she finished punching it, the gorilla-like creature was still standing, its tough armor protecting it from Yang's assault. Yang was shocked, but continued her attack. But when she went to throw another punch, the Beringel grabbed her fist mid-swing, and lifted her off the ground. The creature then threw her several feet away from it, and Yang crashed into several trees before falling to the ground. As she got up, she activated her semblance and went for the Beringel again. She jumped up at it, and brought both fists down on its head, shooting it with both Ember Celicas. The gorilla's head was immediately bashed in.

Yang next went after 3 of the King Taijitus. She jumped on top of one and ran for one of the heads. She punched it several times until it stopped screaming in pain. Yang then ran for the other head. She threw a punch directly at its head, and its brain was immediately obliterated.

When Yang took a second to catch her breath, however, another of the King Taijitus snuck up behind her and closed its mouth around her. But before it could swallow, Yang used all her strength, and managed to push up on the roof of the snake's mouth, forcing it's jaws open and preventing it from eating her.

"No way! I'm…not…going out...like this!" Yang shouted as she struggled to keep the creature's mouth open.

As the snake kept trying to force its mouth shut, Yang slowly but surely moved her hands closer to the Grimm's teeth. She eventually managed to get her hands around its venomous fangs. Once she had her hands where she wanted them, Yang blasted both Ember Celicas, launching herself out of the King Taijitu's mouth and taking both fangs with her. The beast screamed with pain before Yang finished it off. She ran for the snake, jumped on its head, and jammed one of its poisonous fangs into the Grimm's head, before punching it even deeper inside, finally silencing that head. But with one more to take out, Yang wasted no time.

She threw the other fang at the King Taijitu's other head, and shot a blast from her Ember Celica at it for good measure. With the extra momentum, the pang pierced the snake's other head, and the creature died.

Yang had only one more King Taijitu to deal with. She ran for it, and when it tried to bite her, she sidestepped out of the way. She then grabbed its neck as best she could. Then, using the incredible strength her semblance granted her, she spun the two headed Grimm around several times before letting go. The King Taijitu immediately flew beyond the horizon.

Petey used his semblance to jump on top of one of the Nevermores and take down all the aerial Grimm. Once he was top of the Nevermore's back, he began shooting at the Griffons. One by one, he shot at them until they started falling from the sky. Soon there were no more Griffons left, but also no more bullets in Petey's weapon, so he had to rely on his flail from then on.

Petey ran for the middle of the Nevermore he was on top and struck his flail into its wing. He dragged the spiked weapon along the wing until the Nevermore started faltering. Petey then gave the other wing the same treatment. When the Nevermore finally began falling from the skies, Petey used his semblance to jump on top of another one.

He bashed his flail into the Grimm's head multiple times until its armor finally broke. He then threw his flail into the newly opened weak spot and stepped on his flail until it was well embedded into the Nevermore's head.

With one more Nevermore to take care of, Petey jumped on top of it and went to work. He jammed his flail into the creature's neck, which he had learned was its weakest spot in Professor Port's class in his second year. Once his flail was secure, he expertly used his semblance to jump off of the Grimm's wing and fly around the Nevermore's neck until he was on top of it again, the flail's chain extending the whole way. Once he was once again on top of the Nevermore, he yanked on his flail hard, and the Nevermore gave off several choked screams. Petey continued chocking the Nevermore for about another minute until the light in the large bird's eyes started going out and it began falling from the sky. As it fell, Petey jumped off the Grimm and landed on the ground. He then ran for some Beowolfs that were attacking Ruby.

Rouge, in the meantime, was taking on several Beowolfs and Beringels. Every time one gat close to him, he made short work of it with his large claymore. With each swing of the sword, another Grimm lost an arm, or a head, or a lower body, or sometimes all three. He was doing quite well, that is, until, one of the Beringels caught him off guard and threw him several feet away.

When he got back up, he was a little disoriented, but still able to fight. The Grimm once again swarmed around him. He tried to put up a good fight, even managing to take out a few of them, but eventually he was overwhelmed.

But before the Grimm could claim his life, Petey came by and took down the rest of the Grimm surrounding Rouge.

"Thanks, man." Rouge said.

"Not at all, my trusted companion. Now, shall we continue our marvelous Grimm slaughtering escapades? COME HERE YOU SOULLESS ASSHOLES!" Petey replied as he went to fight some more Grimm.

Rouge was then faced with the second Goliath. When it swung its massive trunk at him, he leapt out of the way and went on the offensive. He went for the creature's trunk, and slice a good portion of it off. As the beast screamed in pain, Rouge jumped back and turned his sword around in his hand. He then threw his sword like a spear into what was left of the Goliath's trunk, instantly killing it. He then collected his sword and joined his team leader in destroying some Beowolfs.

Thomas had just finished off a few Beowolfs and Ursas when he was confronted with 2 King Taijitus. He turned his halberd into a machine gun and shot at the white head of one of the King Taijitus. The snake went down under the barrage of bullets. He quickly gave the same treatment to the snake's black head.

He then turned his weapon back into its halberd form to attack the second snake. He ran for it, preparing for battle. When it tried to bite him, Thomas sidestepped out of the way and brought his halberd down on the Grimm's neck. A few swings later, the King Taijitu found himself without a head. Thomas then attacked the other head. Once he was in front of it, he jumped up at it, and brought his weapon right down between the eyes. The snake began evaporating, and Thomas moved on to fight other Grimm.

Indigo inserted a fire dust clip into her bullwhip's handle and started swinging it at every Grimm in sight. With each crack of the whip, another Grimm was lit on fire and died. When she saw a Beowolf approaching Weiss from behind, she wrapped her whip around the large creature's torso and watched as it burned. She then noticed a Beringel approaching her and swung her whip at it.

"Stay back, ugly!" She shouted.

But the Beringel grabbed the end of the whip, seemingly unaffected by the fire dust infused with it. The gorilla like beast then swung Indigo and her whip around several times before letting go, sending the young huntress flying into a tree.

When Indigo got up, she saw the Beringel heading toward her and panicked. She quickly switched out the fire dust clip in her whip for one of lightning dust and started attacking the Beringel again. But all it did was slow the beast down and make it more pissed off. Once it was right in front of her, the Beringel raised its fists and prepared to strike down Indigo, who cowered and waited for her death.

But right then, the Beringel was killed by Thomas. Indigo looked up and saw Thomas offering her a hand up.

"Are you alright, Indigo?" He asked.

"I'm fine, thanks for the save." She replied.

Indigo then got up and saw an Alpha Beowolf approaching Petey. She swung her whip at the beast and it wrapped around the Grimm's neck. As the creature screamed due to having an electric whip around its neck, Indigo turned to Thomas.

"Thomas, shoot at its legs!" She shouted.

Thomas did as he was asked, and the Beowolf was swept off his feet. While it was in the air, Indigo swung it around until it was released from the whip. The Beowolf flew towards Ruby, who immediately cut it in half with her scythe.

With all the Grimm finally gone, the eight soon-to-be huntsmen and huntresses took a breather.

"That was quite an extravaganza. Shall we now set up camp? I don't know about any of you, but I'm rather exhausted. I could use some rest." Petey stated.

The others simply nodded.

* * *

* _that evening_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

What an exhilarating day. I don't believe we've ever had to dispose of so many Grimm at once. I ponder whether or not Team RWBY could say the same. No matter, I must prepare for tomorrow, as well as the rest of this mission. I'll need all the slumber I can acquire.

"Hey Petey?"

I suppose it will have to wait.

"Yes, Thomas?"

"There's something that I'm kinda confused about. Why is it that your girl keeps acting all pissed off? You keep telling us that she's all nice and sweet. But I'm not seeing it. I've barely seen her smile this whole trip. What gives? What do you see in her? I don't mean to pry into your personal life, but…"

"Were you not paying attention to the conversation we had just before we began fighting the Grimm? The man we are meant to retrieve said some rather callous things to me simply because I am a Faunus. It made Ruby very displeased. I actually had to hold her back to prevent her from attacking him."

"That's another thing, why did you let this Campbell guy say things like that to you? Weren't you angry? Didn't you say anything back?"

"I never claimed I wasn't angry with him. But I don't enjoy retaliating against others unless they truly deserve it. I refuse to stoop to that level. I do not wish to act like those extremists in the White Fang. Now can you please drop the issue? You're beginning to exasperate me."

"Wait a second…"

Oh, great. Now Rouge is getting involved. This is only going to get worse.

"What do you mean, he didn't deserve it? From the sounds of things, he said some _really_ mean things. If it were me, I wouldn't sit down and take it. You need to stand up for yourself."

"They're right Petey."

Oh, lovely! Now Indigo. Will they not relent?

"Stop being a pushover. Stop letting them get away with saying these things. Otherwise you're just letting them win. Push back!"

Ugh! They're really pissing me off now. Must…Resist…Anger.

"You need to…"

"YOU THINK I DON'T WANT TO?! YOU THINK I LIKE HEARING THOSE THINGS?! You think I don't sometimes have the urge to bash someone's head in when they insult my heritage like that!? Well, guess what? I do! But I force myself to be restrained because I don't want others to see me like that. I don't want to be seen as the animal most humans think the Faunus are. If some human hits another human over the head, people are angry at him, but soon resume their lives. But if a Faunus hits a human, suddenly it's 'oh my Oum, it's a wild animal! Lock him up forever.' I don't want to be that animal. I want people to see me as someone on par with the rest of them. That's why I refuse to fight back. That's why I was taught to use an exemplary vocabulary from a young age. So I wouldn't be seen as an animal, so I would be seen as civil. I want to be civil. I want to be respected as an outstanding citizen of Remnant. I don't want to be vicious. I don't want to hate. I don't want to be like my cousin. I don't want to be stereotyped like he was. I don't want to join the White Fang like he did. I don't want to give in to my anger and fear. I'm afraid if I relent and give in, I'll just be tempted to join them. What then? What if I'm ordered to take my anger out on someone like Ruby, or the rest of humanity, or, Oum forbid, you guys?"

…

What? Why are they staring at me like that? What did I just say? Did I really lose my temper like that? Oh dear. What shall they think of me?! Please don't let them hate me for blowing my stack at them!

"Oh Petey. I had no idea that's how you felt. I-I'm sorry to have pushed you."

"Yeah, me too. I should have thought before I said anything."

"Now I feel like a real heel."

Well, they took that better than I thought.

"It's alright, my friends. As long as you now know. I vastly appreciate your understanding. Now then, Let us now go to sleep. Our mission is far from complete. We shall require all the rest we can attain."

* * *

* _one week later_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

I can't believe it's been a whole week since we started this mission, and nothing. No lead on where Campbell or his kids are, or why I should care. I still don't want to find this guy. Well, I guess I have to if I wanna be a huntress. Let's see if anyone has anything useful to share.

"So, Petey, anything to share? Any leads?"

"I'm afraid not, Ruby."

Aww man! We're gonna be out here forever!

"Wait, what was that?"

What? Did he hear something? What is it?! A clue?

"I believe that I heard faint voices emanating from that cave over there. I opt to investigate."

"Why? It's probably just some common thugs using it as a hideout. That's not our mission."

"Well, do you have a more substantial idea at your disposal, Rouge? If so, speak now. If not, let's make haste. We might actually find some semblance of a lead on Mr. Campbell's sudden disappearance. Go on, speak."

Teehee, I love it when Petey talks like that. It's so funny. Just like him. I hope we can spend lots and lots of time together once we graduate.

"Well…I…Er… Fine. It's not like we have anything better to do."

* _inside the cave_ *

Huh, now I actually can start hearing voices. What's going on? We only need to get a little closer.

Wait, what is that? Is that…? It is! It's Campbell. And those two must be David and Gwen. But who are these others? They must be the bad guys. And what's with that guy's ponytail? Aren't those for girls? Oh hey, they're talking, maybe I should shut up.

"Well, are you ready to talk now, Campbell?"

"Go to Hell, Tyrian."

"C'mon. Even after all this time, you still won't play nice, old friend?"

"How many times must I tell you? I won't go back to work for her! No amount of torture is going to change that! Tell Salem she can piss off!"

"Aww, how sad. I liked torturing you. Hehehehehehehahahahahahahah."

"Cut it out!"

* _continued maniacal laughter_ *

Now that's just creepy. And who is this 'Salem' that he was talking about? Why does it have such an ominous feel to it? Maybe I should keep listening.

"Though, I will admit, Campbell, it _has_ gotten a little boring. I keep doing it and you won't relent. Maybe…maybe it's time I went with a different strategy. Maybe it wasn't enough that I nabbed your kids in order to lure you out here. Maybe I should have been doing to them what I've been doing to you the past few days."

What?! Now he's going to torture the children!? I may not like Campbell for what he said to Petey, but that doesn't mean that I approve of someone torturing his children. That's just mean! Horrible, awful, evil, cruel, and mean! We have to stop them!

"No. Please, no! Not them! Please!"

"Dad! Help us!"

* _more maniacal laughter_ *

Time to spring into action!

* _Teams RWBY and PRTI jump down, weapons drawn_ *

"What the?! Huntsmen and Huntresses?! How did they find us? Whatever, you'll all be dead soon enough."

* _Tyrian snaps his fingers and several Grimm emerge from the caves_ *

Wh-what!? Where did all these Grimm come from?

"Confused? Well what if I told you that I had the power to control them? A power I was given curtesy of the one I serve?"

Is he talking about that 'Salem' woman? What else does he know? We should question him once we beat up all these nasty Grimm.

"Wait a minute. You!"

Me? Why is he pointing at me? What did I do?

"I know you. You're the little girl who beat Cinder all those years ago! Oh how nice to finally meet you."

How does he know about that? Was he ever a friend of hers? Did she serve the Salem woman too?

"Because of your interference, we've had to delay our plans considerably. I hope we can get back on track once we defeat you and your friends."

What does that mean? What plans? Plans to destroy Vale like Cinder did almost 3 years ago?

"You're lucky that milady wants you captured alive and brought to her. But that doesn't mean I can't get rid of your pretty little eyes so you can't use their power against us ever again. I've killed more than one silver eyed warrior in the past, and I can do it again! * _crazed laughter_ *"

WHAT?! He wants to capture me and cut out my eyes!? But I need my eyes! And did he say he killed someone with silver eyes before? Did he kill my mom?! NO! I don't want my eyes cut out! Or to be brought to his boss! Or wind up like mom! I'm scared! Wh-what do I do!?

"You will not lay a single hand on my sister's eyes, you bastard! Or any part of her!"

"Come a step closer to her and I assure you that you shall receive the business end of my flail in both of _your_ eyes!"

I can always count on Yang and Petey to protect me, can't I? They've always been there for me. It's time for me to be there for them. To be brave when they need me to. Let's see, how do we beat this guy and his Grimm? Should we all fight the Grimm? No, then this creepy eye cutting guy might get away. Maybe some of us should distract the Grimm while the rest defeat this guy. Yeah! That works!

"We'll take on the Grimm. Petey, you and your friends try and rescue Campbell and defeat creepy over there."

"Affirmative, Ruby!"

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Team RWBY engaged the Grimm in a fierce battle while Team PRTI made a beeline for Tyrian and Campbell.

After battling past a few stray Grimm, Petey made it to Tyrian and engaged him in battle.

"I'll handle this guy. You guys work on liberating our hostages." Petey shouted at his teammates, who all nodded in affirmation.

Petey swung his flail at Tyrian, who blocked the attack with the blades on his arms. The two traded several blows from their respective weapons.

"That all you got, little doggy?" Tyrian taunted.

Petey swung at him again, only to have Tyrian kick him right in the face. Petey was knocked back, and Tyrian continued his assault.

He swung his blades at the Dog Faunus, who barely managed to dodge. Petey went back on the offensive. He swung his flail at Tyrian relentlessly, and fired several rounds at him. But Tyrian simply dodged all shots and swings with little effort.

"Heh, all bark and no bite, I see." The taunting continued, followed by another wave of laughter.

"I'll show you a bite!" Petey replied angrily.

He used his semblance to jump behind Tyrian and struck him in the back with his flail. Tyrian fell to the ground and Petey raised his flail for another strike. He then leapt toward his foe, preparing to bring down his flail. Unfortunately, Tyrian rolled out of the way and Petey's flail struck the ground.

"Ooh! Now things are getting interesting. Now I'll actually take a little bit of pleasure in killing you. I hate it when my prey is boring." Tyrian said.

He and Petey began fighting again. Tyrian was doing an excellent job of avoiding Petey. Every time Petey swung his flail or shot his rifle, he was met with a blade or a kick to the body. Petey did his best to hit the crazed man, but only succeeded in getting angrier at Tyrian.

"C'mon, I was expecting more of a challenge. Aren't you supposed to be a trained huntsman? Maybe once I kill you, your lady friends will prove more interesting. I'd love to take down the little brat with the silver eyes, personally. Once I take her down, hahehaehahehaheheaha, pop, pop, go her eyes, then off to milady for all sorts of cruel and unusual torture. Oh I hope she gives me popcorn. Hheheheheheahahahahahaihoahoahoaha!"

Petey grew _furious_ at hearing this guy once again threaten Ruby and her eyes, not to mention taking her away to some dark entity that he apparently served.

Petey screamed in anger and began a vicious assault. Tyrian blocked several of the blows and shots, but still Petey got some solid hits in. Eventually, Petey managed to nail Tyrian in the face with his flail, knocking the evil man to the ground. Petey then proceeded to strike Tyrian several times with his flail, until the evil man's aura was practically depleated. He then pointed his rifle at Tyrian's skull and put his foot on the psychopath's throat and applied a fair amount of pressure.

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch! If you even THINK of harming Ruby in any way, I will personally see to it that you die in the worst possible way imaginable. I will see to it that you and all your allies are killed brutally and without mercy by my bare hands. You will learn in the worst of ways that crossing me, or anyone I care for, will result in an ending that will have you begging for death. Then, maybe, I shall comply with your pitiful request. That ending starts now. Prepare for hell, asshole!" Petey said while raising his flail for a merciless and bloody beating.

"So… ack! You don't like it… grk! When someone… ak! Threatens your sweet little girl… ekk! Kinda like… gak! That Grimm is doing… glak! Right now?" Tyrian said in between chokes.

Petey quickly turned his head in Ruby's direction, ready to slaughter any Grimm that had dared to harm her. He was about ready to murder every single Grimm in the area with his bare hands, each one in a different fashion.

Unfortunately, Tyrian took advantage of Petey's distraction. He pushed Petey off of him and threw him to the ground. He then got up and put one of his blades to Petey's throat.

"Heh hah. Stupid puppy, I knew you would fall for that. You've been naughty to threaten me like that, to try and ruin her marvelous plans. Now it's time to put this bad dog to sleep. For good!" Tyrian shouted as he raised on of his arm blades and prepared to bring it down on Petey.

But before he could, a bullwhip came and wrapped around Tyrian's arm and electrocuted him. He screamed in pain before falling to the ground.

Petey stood up and saw his team standing there, having freed Cameron, David, and Gwen. They were ready to fight.

"I appreciate you saving me. And I must apologize for having to witness that. I became the very thing I told you I feared becoming last week. I gave in to my anger and fear." Petey said sadly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure any of us would have said and done the same if someone threatened the ones we loved like that. As long as you learn from this. Try and restrain yourself, I know you can do it. You have before. You're a strong man, Petey." Thomas stated.

"Of course. Once again, thank you for your understanding, my friends." Petey replied.

While Team PRTI was talking, Tyrian got up and tried to escape. Once Petey noticed this, he shouted at Team RWBY.

"No! Stop him!"

"Cover the exits! Don't let him get past you!" Ruby shouted to her team.

"So long, pesky Huntsmen, I'll just have to kill you all some other… OUCH!" Tyrian shouted before he was greeted with a right hook to the face, courtesy of Yang.

Tyrian flew back and landed on the ground. He tried to get up, but Indigo kept him down using her whip. When he tried to fight back, Thomas used his halberd to slice his weapons off his arms. Then Rouge used some handcuffs he found nearby to restrain him.

Knowing he was beaten, Tyrian looked at Petey with twisted glee.

"Well, go on then, kill me! I deserve it, don't I? Hehehaheahehaha. Go on, kill me like the wild animal you are. This is how nature works, doesn't it? Kill me so I won't be a threat to your little girlfriend or her powerful eyes anymore. Come on, dog, KILL ME!"

Petey really did want to kill him right there on the spot. He began reaching for his flail so he could finish the job. But as soon as he grabbed it, he let it go.

"No. I'm not going to do it. Because I'm not an animal who kills for sport. I refuse to strike an enemy when he is beaten. I won't stoop to your level of ignorance, ye of unstable mind. Get him out of here and call our airship. Our mission is complete." Petey stated.

Tyrian seemed kind of disappointed as he was carried out by the members of Team PRTI.

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

I suppose I should see if Mr. Campbell and his children are unscathed before making them leave this dreadful cave. It's the right thing to do.

"Pardon me, Mr. Campbell, but are you and your children well? Are any of you seriously injured in any way?"

"We're fine. But I don't get it, mutt. Why would you and your friends risk your lives for our sake? Aren't you going to try and kill me or rob me or my store since I'm a human?"

He's still like that, despite what we went through to rescue him and his children? Some people, I swear…

"You know, not all Faunus are with the White Fang. In fact, you'd be surprised how many of us actually despise that horrid organization for giving the Faunus a bad name. Making us synonymous with terrorist attacks and fear. But there are, in fact, a great number of good Faunus. There are those of us who actually go out and fight to make the world a better place for both humans and Faunus. I know there will always be humans out there with prejudices against that which is different from them, just like there will always be Faunus who despise humans because of the sins of the past. But I'm willing to fight for those who hold no such prejudice, hold no resentment for our human brethren. Even those that refuse to change deserve a chance to live. There is still a chance of redemption. And I know there are lots of other Faunus that would concur with me. Humans as well. Besides, we're actually not all that different. We share the same planet, same sun, we all have eyes and arms and legs, just like you humans. And we all wish for a peaceful world. So can we please make that peace?"

…

What is he pondering now? Did I legitimately change his mind, or did my pleas fall onto deaf ears?

"…Well… I suppose I never thought of it like that. We do actually have a lot in common, now that I think about it. Plus, I do owe you for risking your neck to save me and my kids. I guess I should try and give the Faunus a chance. I only hope you're right about all this."

"I assure you, I am. It's well worth the effort to seek out the good in us, rather than judge us all based on the actions of a few of our devious kind."

"Yeah. So, thanks again for the save, mu- err, kid."

Splendid. I have an astonishing feeling I just helped to improve the world, even if only by a slight margin. That still reigns as a victory to me. Now, where did Ruby run off to?

* * *

* _some time later. Beacon Auditorium_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Team RWBY. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. The 4 of you have successfully completed all required fields of study necessary to graduate my school. It is my pleasure to grant you the rank of official huntresses. Congratulations."

* _claps from the other teams_ *

HORRAY! We finally did it! We finally get to be real huntresses! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I can finally go and save the world with all my friends! I can't wait to get my first real mission! Oh, hey! Petey and his team are next!

"Team PRTI. Petey Lucenay, Rouge Antilles, Thomas Awdry, and Indigo Baxter. The 4 of you have successfully completed all required fields of study necessary to graduate my school. It is my pleasure to grant you the rank of official huntsmen and huntresses. Congratulations."

* _claps from the other teams_ *

"Yay Petey! Yay!"

I hope I get to spend lots of time with him whenever I'm not being a Huntress. Oooh! Maybe I can invite him to go with me on some of my awesome Huntress trips!

* _After all teams have been recognized, (except for CRDL, who failed to meet all requirements and must be held back a year)_ *

"As I look out over all your faces, I see countless stories, countless experiences. And as official huntsmen and huntresses, you shall have many more experiences and stories to tell. No matter where your path takes you, I hope that the experiences, the friendships, and the lessons you received here at Beacon last a lifetime. I am proud to have called you my students. Congratulations, graduates."

* _cheering from the graduates_ *

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

* _outside, in the courtyard_ *

Awesome! We've only been real Huntresses for about an hour, and already Team RWBY has a mission! I can't wait! These are going to be the best years of my life!

Hey, there's Petey! I think I should tell him congratulations on becoming a huntsman. Here goes nothing.

"Petey!"

* _Ruby happily jumps onto Petey's back_ *

"Whoa! Hahaha. It's marvelous to see you as well, Ruby. Or, should I say, Huntress Rose?"

Just as formal as ever. Ah well, that's part of what I love about him. So proud and mature. So sure of himself.

"Teehee, you can still just call me Ruby."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. How does it feel to finally hold a Huntress license?"

As if he has to ask.

"It's AMAZING! Team RWBY has already been hired to go to clear out some Grimm just outside the reaches of Vale."

"How spectacular. I wish you the best of luck, Ruby. Would you care for a drink?"

"Thanks, Petey. And sure, I'll get something to drink. So, has Team PRTI been asked to go on a mission yet?"

"Not just yet, but I do see the rest of my Team speaking with someone who looks like he wishes to hire some Huntsmen. I should join them once I finish... here's your punch, by the way… once I finish conversing with you."

"Thanks."

I hope that he and his team do get a mission. I want to see what it's like for him be a real Huntsman. I hope he has lots of super cool stories to share. I know I will. Should we get together sometime after our missions and tell some of these stories? Hey, that's a great idea!

"Hey Petey, when we're bot back in Vale, do you maybe wanna get together so we can tell each other neat stories of our first missions as real Huntsmen and Huntresses?"

"What a phenomenal idea, Ruby. I'd love to celebrate my first triumphs as a Huntsman with you. There's no one else I'd rather do it with. So until then, here's to many successful years and Huntsman and Huntress."

* * *

 **It's done. It's finally done. Two months of work, finally done.**

 **Please accept my sincerest apologies for taking so long to get this chapter done. Writers block hit me, and hit me hard. I'm sure some of you out there can relate. I'll admit, the part that screwed me over was the fight scene with all the Grimm. That is where things got hard for me. I had a real hard time writing that out. Having to write fight scenes for 8 different people is hard. Especially when I had to pit them against so many different monsters and wielding so many different weapons. That's the part that made me take so long. Everything before that fight, I got done in like, 2-3 days. And everything after that, I got done in like, a week. So again, I'm sorry it took forever.**

 **So much for getting this story done before Volume 4 began airing. Oh well, like I said, nothing that happens in Volume 4 will affect this story at all. The only exceptions being, I will incorporate Ruby's semblance upgrade into my story, and, as you read, I might be putting one or two of the new villains into the story.**

 **Speaking of, the decision to make Tyrian the main antagonist of this chapter was a total last second choice on my part. I hope I managed to capture him well. As well as I can with only one episode to work off of, anyway. The weapons I gave him are supposed to be the same ones he's seen wielding against Ruby in the Volume 4 opening. I couldn't really get a good look at them, so I'm honestly not sure what they are exactly.**

 **Anyways, as I said before, nothing in Volume 4 will be included in this story. If you've been paying attention, there are already some large differences present between my story and RWBY canon. Examples: Ozpin's not dead in my story. (I still don't think he is in canon, either), Beacon was rebuilt and reopened, Yang got her original arm reattached, and Cinder still has both eyes and the ability to speak. (Though, she does have a large scar across her face, courtesy of Crescent Rose.)**

 **Also, the names of the people RWBY and PRTI are sent to rescue, David, Gwen, and Cameron Campbell… Yeah, that was a shameless _Camp Camp_ reference on my part. It's a really great show, probably my second favorite out of Rooster Teeth, (just guess what number 1 is) and I can't wait for season 2 next Summer.**

 **Once again, I'm sorry that this took so long to get uploaded, but I hope the wait was worth it. Even if it wasn't, even if you didn't really like this chapter, try and take comfort not only in the fact that next chapter, I plan on spicing things up a bit, but that I'll likely have the next chapter posted within the next 2 or 3 weeks. I promise to never take so long between chapters again.**

 **So, until the next chapter, please leave me some feedback. But please, try and keep it either positive or in the realm of constructive criticism. I dislike flames, and any attempts to send me some will end extinguished.**

 **See you later, people!**


	13. Third time's (not always) a charm

**Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages! Come and behold the greatest spectacle the world has ever seen. A new chapter of this illustrious story!**

 **Alright, it may not be that amazing, but still, it's great to be writing another chapter. As I've stated before, this is the chapter where I plan on shaking things up a bit, especially toward the end. What do I mean by that? Well, I'm not saying here. You have to keep reading to find out. Otherwise, what's the point of continuing on past this point? Well, without further delay, let's get it on!**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _A little over a year and a half past graduation. A nice café in Vale_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* * *

It's difficult to believe that well over a year has already passed since I have become a licensed Huntsman. How time flies. At least I'm not on a mission now. I'm glad to be in the company of my most trusted friends in all of Remnant.

Well, rather, I would be if she was here. Where is she? I hope I provided Ruby with the correct address. I have no desire to have this momentous day be ruined by a smidgen of carelessness on my part. Aha! There she is.

"Hello, Ruby."

"Hi, Petey. What's up?"

"Not a great deal, at the present moment. Are you well?"

"Yeah, I'm good. So, why did you want to meet me here?"

Oh, you'll find out, dearest rose. You'll find out.

"I simply wished to spend a day with my lovely girlfriend. Also, I wanted to say: Happy 20th Birthday, my dearest rose!"

"Aww, thank you! You remembered!"

"Of course I did. I wouldn't dare forget the birthday of the most beautiful woman in all of Remnant."

I would sooner throw myself into a pit of Grimm than forget your birthday, Ruby.

"So, what marvelous gifts have you received so far, Ruby?"

"Well, Yang and her husband got me some nice new furniture for my apartment, Wiess gave me some experimental new Dust rounds for my weapon, Blake gave me some nice books to read, and Dad and Uncle Qrow both gave me some spending money."

"That all sounds sublime, Ruby."

Although they all pale in comparison to my planned gifts.

"Are you ready to receive your gifts from me?"

"Ooh! Yes, yes, yes! Show me, show me!"

"Alright, your first gift is a pleasant lunch at your favorite café with your boyfriend, who will also be paying for the whole thing."

"Heehee, thanks, Petey."

"And next is this. These are two tickets to the Biannual Vale Weapons Expo. Be amazed at all the advanced weaponry used by some of the most legendary Huntsmen and Huntresses of the past and present. You might even get to meet some of your favorite Huntsmen or Huntresses. Or possibly find some sort of upgrade for your scythe."

"Oh my goodness! I've wanted to go to this for years! Now it's finally happening! Thank you so much, Petey!"

* _kisses him multiple times_ *

"Think nothing of it, Ruby. It pleases me to see you so ecstatic for this event. It will certainly be a very enjoyable experience."

"Oh, you bet it will! You and I are going to have a blast there! I can't wait to see all the cool swords and guns and clubs and... Oh, this is going to be the most awesome thing in the history of _ever!_ "

"Heh heh, Ah Ruby, even after all these years, you still retain all the enthusiasm and innocence you displayed the day we met. That's part of what drew me to you in the first place."

"Yeah, I know. You've said that so many times now. But still, would you have me any other way? Is there anything you would want me to change? Even the smallest little detail?"

Alright, Petey, this is your chance. This is your golden opportunity. Tell her. Tell her that she should grow her hair out. Tell her that she would look so much more stunning like that. Don't be a wuss. Tell her! Now!

"No. You're perfect just as you are. Down to the last exquisite feature."

Dammit! Petey, you wimp! You weakling! Bad Dog Faunus! Bad!

"Aw, thanks! I love you, Petey."

Well at least she's satisfied with my reply. I suppose I'll have to comment on her hair another day.

Let's see, should I give her my last present now? No, I should wait until we are finished consuming our meal. So let us acquire said food.

"I love you too. Do you know what you want to eat?"

"Yup, I'm ready."

"As am I. Pardon me, waitress, but I believe we are ready to order."

* * *

* _after lunch_ *

What a delicious meal. That has been an extraordinary outing. And it's about to get better. The time is now! The question must be asked.

"Thanks again for lunch and my presents, Petey. I loved it."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Ruby. But before you return home, I have one remaining present for you. And believe me when I say I've saved the best for last."

"Oh boy! What is it!?"

"Ruby, you and I have known each other for a great many years now. Throughout all that time, we have grown exceptionally close to each other. From acquaintances, to friends, to lovers. And I believe the time is right for us to reach the next margin in our relationship. So, I ask you…"

Well, here it goes. The moment of truth!

"… Ruby Rose, would you please do me the honor of…"

"Wait just a second…"

Wh-what? What does she mean, 'wait'?

"Who is that?"

Who is who? I don't see anyone exceptional in the vicinity. Who could it possibly be that it's so important to interrupt what I was about to ask?

* _Ruby zooms away with her semblance_ *

"Wh-what? Hey! Ruby, wait up!"

Where could she have run off to now? Ah, there she is. What happened? Whom did she see?

"P-Penny? Is that you?"

Penny? Who is Penny? Wait, the same Penny who was destroyed many years ago during the Vytal Tournament? How could she be here? I don't know, but… wait, it really is her!

"Salutations, stranger. What may I do for you? And how do you know my name?"

"Penny, what are you talking about? It's me, Ruby! Your friend! Don't you remember?"

"Ruby, Ruby… No, I'm afraid I don't know anyone with that name. But would you like to be my friend?"

"What do you mean? I AM your friend. How could you forget? Don't robots have automatic memories or something?"

What does Ruby mean? A robot? Oh yes, now I recall. Penny is an android. Even so, how could she have forgotten Ruby? Was her mind wiped, perhaps?

* _Penny worriedly pulls Ruby to an ally while Petey follows_ *

What?! Where is she taking Ruby now?

"How did you know about that?! Who told you I wasn't a real girl?! Are you working with an enemy?"

"What? No! I know because you told me! Several years ago. And I told you that you _are_ a real girl. You do have a heart and soul."

Ruby said all that? Wow, she'll seek out the good in anyone, won't she? Oh well, that's why I love her.

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't remember."

"Penny, please. N-no."

Oh no. Please don't cry, Ruby. I cannot bear to see you so upset. Please, no!

"I apologize, but I… OUCH!"

What? What is with the 'ouch?' Are androids even physically capable of feeling pain of any kind? How curious.

"Penny?! What's wrong?!"

"I… I-I… I'm remembering!"

She is?! How is that possible? What is happening?

"I… I met you… at the docks. Your teammate… Weiss… fell on top of me."

"* _gasp_ * You do remember! Penny!"

"Ruby!"

* _the friends hug_ *

"Penny, what happened to you? I remember seeing you being destroyed during the Vytal Tournament so many years ago. How are you back?"

"I… don't remember. All I recall is waking up in Atlas. My father told me that I had been destroyed, and he put me back together. But I had no memories of my previous life. He said that they were irrelevant."

How curious. But there is one thing I'd like to know.

"Wait, then, how do you remember Ruby?"

"I don't know. It's just like… well… how do I describe it?"

"Go on."

"I was informed that even though my original body had been destroyed, they had transferred the Aura my original body had into my new one."

"What does that have to do with remembering Ruby?"

"Well, Aura is said to be a manifestation of one's soul, yes?"

Where could this possibly be going? I'm rather curious.

"Well, I believe that is why I remember you, Ruby. You were my only real friend. My _best_ friend You taught me not to see myself as not real. You made a deep impact on my life. You're my best friend with all my heart and soul."

So she remembered simply because of Ruby's impact on her soul? That sounds convenient. As in, _incredibly_ convenient. How do I even describe it? It's like… if this were some sort of fictional story, I would consider this clichéd and lazy writing. I can swear I've seen something similar in at least one motion picture in the past.

On the other hand, I suppose I shouldn't question Ruby's good fortune.

"It's so great to have you back, Penny! This is the best birthday ever!"

"Oh yes, extraordinary."

Except for the fact that I did not receive the opportunity to present Ruby with my proposal. And I cannot just ask her now, the moment has been ruined for me. I suppose I'll have to wait for another day. When the time is just right. Hopefully that day shan't take too long to arrive.

* * *

* _several months later_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Ah, what a nice day. I like relaxing like this whenever I'm not being an awesome Huntress. It's a pretty day out, and it's nice to be walking in the park with Petey.

Funny, he seems kinda worried about something. But what? He said he had something to tell me. I wonder what it is. I guess I'll find out before today's over. It must be important, if he's so worried. Oh, how bad could it be? It's not like he's going to ask me to marry him, right? Whatever it is, maybe one of us should start talking.

"So, Petey, how have you been recently?"

C'mon, Ruby, you could have done better than that. Why not try and talk about something nice, like my favorite cookies, or that weapon show we went to? That was fun!

"I've been exceedingly well. Thank you for inquiring, Ruby. And what about yourself? Are you in good condition on this day?"

"I'm alright, it's been a hard couple months for me."

"I imagined as much. Penny's unanticipated return, along with your sister's abrupt announcement of pregnancy, also, allow me to once again offer my sincerest condolences on the passing of your dog, Zwei."

"Yeah, I miss him, too. He really was a good dog."

"Still, life must proceed. He was an older dog, after all."

Why did he have to put it like that? Not like that will make me feel better. Why did you have to go from something stupid like old age, Zwei? Why couldn't you have just stayed forever? Why?!

"I'm so sorry, Ruby. That was rather tactless of me. I should have chosen my words more cautiously."

Well, it's not like I can stay mad at him forever.

"It's OK, Petey. At least he went peacefully."

"Indeed. But returning to what I was saying before, how is your sister faring with this whole 'pregnancy' business?"

"She's being really weird. Like, super weird. I've barely seen her since she told me. And her husband told me that she keeps behaving funny. And not 'ha ha' funny, either. Like, weird funny."

"Yes, I've been informed that pregnant females are often unstable. But then again, I've never fully encountered one, so who am I to talk?"

"I don't know, who are you to talk? Are you an expert or something? Oh! I have questions!"

"It's merely a figure of speech, Ruby."

Oh, oopsies. I should have known that. Now I'm embarrassed.

"In any case, I'm glad that you agreed to meet me here, Ruby."

"Oh well, you know, I felt like taking a day off, and it's been a while since you and I spent a nice day together, and… Petey, why are you looking at me all weird like that?"

"It's nothing, Ruby. I was merely relishing in your intense beauty."

"Petey!"

Great, now I'm really embarrassed. Why does he always have to look at me like that? It makes my face all red. Why does it make my face all red? Why does it make my heart go so fast?

"Is it so erroneous of me to comment on how truly stunning you are? I simply an unable to restrain myself from saying it."

"W-well, thanks, Petey. You're really cute too."

"I appreciate your compliment, Ruby. I wish I could tell you every day how truly alluring you are."

Yikes! I might just flat out die from embarrassment if he did that. But still, it's nice to see that he does think highly of me.

"As a matter of fact, I might just be able to. I just need you to do one thing for me."

What does he mean? How could he do it every day? What do I have to do? None of this makes sense to me.

"Listen Ruby, I want you to know that I love you. And I wish to know if you have the same feelings of affection toward me."

Why would he ask that? Does he doubt me? I can't stand to see him sad. I must fix this. I need to find out what he wants from me.

"Of course. I love you a lot, Petey. Why would you ask me?"

"I simply required to hear it from your own mouth. Now, as I said, there is something that I request of you. And it is for you to say yes to the question I am going to momentarily ask you."

Must be some question. I wonder what it could be.

"Ruby Rose, would you please accept my hand in ma…"

* _Ruby's scroll goes off_ *

"Oh, hold on. It's my scroll. I gotta check this out."

Who could be texting me? Oh, it's Yang. I wonder what she wants. Let's see, what does her message say?

* _Ruby! Come to hospital, quick! The baby's coming!_ *

 ** _WHAT?!_**

"Oh my gosh! I… I gotta go, Petey! Something just came up. Yang's baby is being born right now! So, whatever it was you were going to ask me, please, make it quick!"

"Oh no, don't concern yourself with it. Go, be with your sister. You needn't fret on my behalf."

Why does he sound so upset? Did I disappoint him somehow? Why am I worrying over this now? I have to see my sister! See my new niece or nephew! Make sure they're alright!

"Thanks, Petey. I knew you'd understand. I'll see you later."

* _gives Petey a quick kiss_ *

"I'M COMING, YANG!"

* _dashes off with her semblance_ *

Why was Petey so upset back there? What was it he was going to ask me? Was it something important? It's not like him to be so sad over something like this. It was just a question. Oh, well. It's probably not something he'll be upset over for long. By this time tomorrow, Petey will probably be just fine.

* * *

* _this time tomorrow_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"OUM DAMMIT!"

"Petey, you need to calm down, man."

"That's _twice_ I have attempted to ask Ruby to marry me, only to be rudely interrupted by some unforeseen circumstance! How is it even feasible? To have it occur once is one thing, but twice?! Does the great lord, Monty Oum, not wish for me to get married? What have I ever done to you, Monty? What unforgiveable sin have I committed to cause you to treat me so?"

"PETEY! Calm yourself. This isn't like you."

"* _sigh_ * You are correct, Rouge. That was rather out of character of me. I apologize, my friends. I'm simply so irked that my plans have fallen through two times already. My only desire is to ask Ruby to be my bride. Is that so wrong of me?"

"No, it's not. You just need a better strategy. The question is, what strategy?"

That's an excellent question indeed. I've attempted a nice restraint, and the park. What other alternatives are available to me? I am at a loss. Let's see, do my companions here have any suggestions?

"Indigo, you're a female. What would you suggest I do in this scenario?"

"I'm glad you asked. I don't want to brag, but I'm a bit of a romance expert. What you need to do is try something nice. Y'know, lots of flowers and sun, and the beauty of nature. She needs to be serenaded. You should…"

What am I listening to? I've never been able to fully comprehend how females speak. I think Indigo has once again been caught up upon those dreadful romantic movies. Why did you always make us watch those on movie night back at Beacon? Why, Indigo?

"… pretty flowers. Try it on a day when there's a rainbow out. You understand what I'm saying, Petey?"

"I apologize, Indigo, but I couldn't understand a word you said. You females have always been something of an enigma to me. Do either of you have the faintest idea what she was relaying to me?"

"Nope."

"Not a clue."

At least I am not alone in my bafflement.

"Really?! You guys are jerks!"

"Oh, calm down, Indigo. Not our fault we don't speak girl. Maybe if you hadn't watched all those cheesy, stupid romantic crap fests you call movies, we could understand you better."

I don't believe I could have said it better myself. Minus the vulgarities, of course.

"Thomas, you son of a…!"

" _Anyway._ What I _think_ she was trying to say is that you need to take your girl out to a place where you can't be interrupted like you were before. A place like that forest. Sounds kinda nice, actually."

It does sound pleasant. Nothing but trees, small animals, and beauty unbound. A perfect place for a marriage proposal. And with luck, no one or nothing to interrupt us. Yes. That is what I shall do. I'm actually going to go through with it!

"I appreciate all your help, my friends. At the next available opportunity, I shall take dear Ruby to the forest and, once again, attempt to ask for her hand in marriage. But until then, why do not spend some time amongst ourselves? It has been so long since we have all been together like this. We must do it more often Why do we not see a movie?"

"Oh, can I pick the movie?"

"NO!"

Indigo has gone mad if she believes that she may choose our movie this time. I believe we have suffered enough talk of romance and love for one day.

"No chance in hell, Indigo. We've had enough of your girlish gibberish for one day."

Once again, Thomas has vocalized what I'm sure we're all thinking.

"You guys are gonna pay for this one day! Mark my words!"

Consider them marked, Indigo.

* * *

* _about 6 months later_ *

Why did it have to take so long for me to get Ruby alone in a forest? I likely could have proposed to her multiple times over by now. Then again, there was always the probability that I could have been interrupted each time just as I was the first two times. Only now do I have Ruby all to myself. Just her, me, and the Grimm that we must clear out before I can ask my question.

"Thanks again for coming along, Petey. I couldn't get anyone else to come along. Weiss is too busy trying to help her dad's company in Vale, Blake wanted a day away from Huntressing, and I haven't heard from Yang in about a month. I'm worried about her."

"I'm certain that she's alright, Ruby. Besides, I could never say no to you. Now then, shall we engage the Grimm that have just emerged around us?"

"Let's."

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Petey and Ruby were completely surrounded by a pack of Ursas. They immediately went to work on taking them all down.

Ruby ran forward with her semblance and instantly sliced one Ursa in half. She then abruptly changed directions and stabbed another one in the heart with the pointed end of her scythe. She then pulled her scythe out of the creature and shot at another one a few times until it died.

When another one approached Petey from behind, she ran up to it and ran around it multiple times, leaving multiple rose petals behind. When she stopped, the bear like Grimm fell to several pieces. She then attacked another one, impaling it with Crescent Rose, then sending it flying into another Ursa. The force of the impact killed both Grimm.

Another Ursa approached her and tried swiping its large claws at her. But Ruby effortlessly evaded each swing until she raised her scythe. The Ursa's claw caught on the blade, and Ruby pointed the barrel of her gun at the Grimm's head, then blew its brains out. She then ran for another one, slicing into its back with Crescent Rose. The Ursa screamed in pain before Ruby finished it off by cutting it in two. When one more came up next to Petey, she ran around it, trapping the creature in a tornado of rose petals before finishing it off by extending her scythe blade into a forward position, and brought it down on the Grimm's neck. Once she landed, one last Ursa came up behind her and tried to attack. Without even looking at it, Ruby twirled her scythe behind her and relieved the creature of its head.

Petey was also busy with several Grimm. He bashed one against a tree with his flail before shooting it. He then used his semblance to leap toward another one and bash its skull in. When one Ursa ran up to him from behind, he simply smacked it in the face with his flail with enough force to kill it instantly.

When yet another Ursa tried to attack Ruby from behind while she was busy with another, Petey jumped toward it and hit it in the back, knocking it down before shooting it in the head.

"Don't you DARE touch her!" Petey said angrily to the dead Grimm's body as it began evaporating.

Petey then shot at two more Ursas as they approached him and Ruby, before turning his attention to another one. He extended the chain of his flail and struck the Grimm several times from a great distance before it finally died. When a different Ursa tried to sneak up on him and attack him, he simply dodged all the attacks before hitting it in the head with its flail. He then hit it square in the chin, which knocked it into the air. Petey proceeded to shoot it in the gut, finally finishing it off. He then attacked another one by hitting it in the chest with his flail, knocking it into a tree, which Petey then shot at, causing it to fall down on the Ursa, instantly killing it. There was only one more Ursa to take care of, and Petey killed by striking it in the crotch with his flail, then blowing its brains out with the flail's rifle.

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"Phew. That was actually rather easy. Wouldn't you say, Ruby?"

"Yeah that was pretty easy. I was expecting more of a challenge. But have you noticed something weird about the Grimm recently?"

"Could you elaborate, Ruby? I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean."

How could the Grimm possibly be acting in a strange manner? I've not noticed anything.

"I dunno, it just feels like they're getting closer and closer to the kingdom's walls. Look, we're only about half a mile from the edge of the kingdom. It's like they're waiting for something to happen."

"I wouldn't pay it any mind, Ruby. Remember, these are mostly mindless beasts. What could they possibly be waiting for? They're always looking to breach our defenses. Plus, I don't personally believe they are approaching the kingdom's walls at any rate faster per the norm."

I never took Ruby to be the type to be paranoid over something so trivial. Is something else on her mind? In any case, I must get my question asked before we return to the safety of Vale.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Petey. Anyways, we should probably be heading back."

"Ruby, wait. Before we depart for home, I wish to have a quick word with you."

"Oh, okay. What is it."

"This is something I've longed to say to you for well over a year now. And I decided to wait until we were surrounded by the pristine beauty that is nature. This is something that needed to be said only under the best of circumstances. And I believe there is no better time than now, while surrounded be such lovely foliage."

"Uh, okay. What is it?"

Here I go. This is it. Third time's a charm, as they like to say.

"Ruby Rose, would you please mar…"

* ** _KABOOM_** *

Wh-what?! What in Monty Oum's name was that!?

"O-oh my goodness! That sounded bad! Petey, we need to go! People could need our help!"

"I concur. Let's go!"

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Ruby ran for the city as fast as she could with her semblance. Petey kept up by using his incredible jumps.

Once they got into the city, they were greeted with a horrible sight. From the looks of things, a large bomb had gone off. There were sirens wailing and people panicking and running for their lives. Ruby managed to stop someone.

"What happened here?!" She asked desperately.

"A bomb! Someone dropped a bomb!" The pedestrian shouted before continuing to run.

"We need to help! There could still be others!" Ruby shouted to Petey.

"Yes, I agree. So let us… What is that!?" Petey shouted.

All of a sudden, airships bearing the Mistral logo began appearing. Once they landed, troops began jumping out and began shooting at innocent people running by.

Ruby and Petey were shocked to say the least. But they immediately started attacking the soldiers before they could hurt anyone else.

Ruby ran forward and slashed at one with her scythe. She then cut another one's gun in half before sending him flying back with a blast from her rifle. She then ran for another one, knocking him to the ground.

"What are you doing?! Why are you hurting all these innocent people?!" She demanded from the soldier.

"Long live Salem." The solder replied before pulling out a hidden gun and pointing it at Ruby.

But before he could fire it, a Beowolf came out of nowhere and brutally murdered the soldier before Ruby killed it by slicing it in half with her scythe.

Ruby and Petey looked in the direction that the Grimm came from, and saw sever different types of Grimm coming into the city, having been drawn in by all the fear and panic. The two immediately went to work on trying to stop them.

Petey went about shooting at any Grimm that came near him. Whenever one came too close for comfort, he smacked it with his flail. An enemy soldier then attempted to flank Petey from behind, but Petey managed to see it coming. He used his semblance to jump over the soldier and hit him in the back with his flail, sending him flying toward a Creep, which instantly killed the soldier. Petey then saw another soldier aim his weapon at Ruby while she was busy with several Grimm. Petey immediately leapt toward him and stepped on him, making the soldier land on his back before Petey killed him with a bullet to the head. Next, he focused on taking down some Grimm with Ruby.

"So, Petey. What was it you were saying before about not having to worry about the Grimm getting closer to the city?" Ruby said while killing a Boarbatusk.

"Very well, Ruby! I concede! You were right and I was wrong. Are you happy now?!" Petey said while pulling his flail out from an Ursa's skull.

"Yes, very." Ruby said smugly.

Before their conversation could continue, a large Death Stalker came running toward the pair. Ruby and Petey ran for it, trying to attack it. Ruby swung her scythe at it several times, but it failed to cut through the Grimm's tough plating. The Death Stalker then hit her with one of its claws, knocking her back. The large scorpion then then approached her and prepared to impale her with its stinger. But just as it brought its tail down, Petey smacked it with his flail. The stinger then landed beside Ruby.

"Don't you dare try and hurt her!" Petey yelled angrily at the large scorpion.

The Grimm then turned its attention to the Dog Faunus. He tried to sting Petey several times, but Petey managed to dodge each time. But then, the Grimm managed to grab Petey in its claw and began to crush him. Just as Petey began to scream in agony, Ruby began slashing her scythe at the creature's back. Petey jumped a fair distance away, right by a destroyed building.

Ruby used her semblance to run around the creature and continue landing hits on it, her speed preventing it from landing any solid hits on her. However, the creature got lucky, and swiped a claw in her direction. She tripped over it, and fell to the ground. As the creature prepared to strike the finishing blow, however, Ruby got up, ran on top of the Death Stalker, and jammed her scythe into one of its eyes. She then pulled back on her scythe, making the Grimm rear up, exposing its underside to Petey.

"Petey! Shoot it! Shoot it now!" Ruby cried out desperately.

Petey nodded, and aimed his flail's rifle at the Death Stalker. He then shot it several times. After multiple cries of pain, the Grimm finally went down. Ruby and Petey took a second to catch their breaths. They were both tired from all the fighting and were low on aura, but knew they had to keep fighting.

"This area appears to be relatively secure. Let us move on to an area more populated with Grimm and enemy soldiers." Petey said.

"Yeah, there are still people out there that need our help. We need to get them away from the city. Away from the Grimm and the…" Ruby said before she stopped. She was distracted by something moving behind Petey.

When she looked behind him, she saw a broken gasoline line spewing a large amount of gas, pooling around and behind Petey. She also saw several bits of debris on fire near Petey's feet. The gasoline was steadily spreading further and further.

Ruby very quickly put two and two together and came out with…

"PETEY! MOVE! LOOK OUT!" She shouted.

She ran for him as fast as she could with her semblance to push him out of the way. Once she got to him, she pushed him with all her might. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough, and the gas made contact with the fire right after she pushed him.

* **KABOOM** *

Petey was thrown away from the ensuring explosion thanks to Ruby's push. Ruby herself, however, was not so lucky. The explosion threw her into the air at an incredibly high speed, until she collided with a skyscraper at its fifteenth level, leaving a large spider web of cracks in her wake. She slowly started peeling off the building, and fell to the ground, flat on her face.

"No. NO! **NO!** " Petey shouted, having watched her fall to the ground,

He immediately jumped toward her using his semblance. Once he was right next to her, he gently picked her up in his arms.

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"Ruby! Are you alright?! Please, I implore you! Say something! Give me some sort of indication that you are not dead! Please!"

"…."

"NO! Please no! I can't lose you! Please! Wake up!"

N-no. It's… it is too late. She's gone. That explosion must have been too much for her to bear. Why her? WHY HER?! She was far too young and innocent to die. Why couldn't I have been the one to take that execrable blast? I deserved it for my exceptional display of carelessness. She had so much ahead of her in life. Goodbye, my love. Goodbye, dearest Ruby. Wait, what is that sound?

* _thump, thump, thump_ *

Is that a heartbeat? It is. It is! She's still alive! Oh, praise Monty Oum! Death has yet to claim this fair maiden with its dreadful embrace. Never have I been so thankful to have hearing abilities above that of the average man. It really is a blessing having canine ears like mine. I need only find a place to keep Ruby out of harm's way until such time as she awakens. If she awakens.

No! Stop! Do not dare think like that, Petey. She _will_ awaken. But where place her until then? Hmm. Wait, does this building have a basement of sorts? It does! Yes, this is where Ruby and I shall remain for the time being. With luck, perhaps I can locate our friends and other survivors and allow them to hide out alongside us as well. I need only wait until is dreadful attack on Vale has reached its climax.

Please, get well and recover soon, my dearest rose.

* * *

 **Man, you just can't catch a break, can you, Petey?**

 **I decided to bring back Penny mostly to support my own theory that she's not really dead. I don't really believe that Rooster Teeth is fully done with her yet. Plus, while they confirmed that both Roman and Pyrrha are dead, I don't believe that they have done the same for Penny. If they have, someone prove me wrong. Even so, Penny has returned. I have a few more plans for her.**

 **If you're wondering why I made Yang pregnant, again I encourage you to read my other story for full details. I promise that that's the last time I'll bring up my other story in this one.**

 **And lastly, yeah, I may or may not have killed Ruby. She may be alive for now, but will she remain as such in the next chapter? Or will I be a cruel bastard and kill her? Stay tuned until the next chapter to find out.**

 **Speaking of next chapter, I don't have too much planned, meaning that it will be relatively short. Hopefully that means I'll have it out sooner, rather than later.**

 **But we'll get to that when we get to that. So long, and farewell, until we meet again.**


	14. Living in apocalypse

**Kon'nichiwa, hola, and hello. It's time for yet another chapter of** ** _Dogs and Roses._** **It's been an interesting journey so far, and we still have so much left before I can call it quits.**

 **As I stated before, this chapter will be relatively short, at least compared to my more recent chapters. I really didn't have too much planned for this chapter. I threw more effort into what I have planned for next chapter. In any case, I still hope you enjoy this one.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

 _My goodness. Why must Death Stalkers be so astonishingly strenuous to eliminate? I suppose it matters not. The horrid creature is dead. Now we must continue onwards._

 _"This area appears to be relatively secure. Let us move on to an area more populated with Grimm and enemy soldiers."_

 _"Yeah, there are still people out there that need our help. We need to get them away from the city. Away from the Grimm and the…"_

 _Why did she cease speaking? Is there something wrong? Wait, what is that appalling smell? It smells like… gasoline._

 _"PETEY! MOVE! LOOK OUT!"_

 _*_ Ruby pushes Petey _*_

 _*_ _ **KABOOM**_ _*_

 _What?! What was that?! Where's Ruby?! Oh no. Don't tell me she…_

 _"No. NO!_ _ **NO!**_ _"_

 _Dear Monty! Please… Please no! Ruby, don't tell me that this charred, mangled, and burned corpse is you!_

 _Oh dear, she still has her cloak on. It is her! No, no, no! Ruby!_

 _*_ corpse chokes Petey _*_

 _"You could have saved me! Why did you let me die?! Why didn't you love me?!"_

 _"I did love you, Ruby! Ack! I didn't wish for you to die!"_

 _Since when could a mangled corpse choke someone? Why Ruby? I loved you! Why would she do this to me?_

 _*_ Roar! _*_

 _What was… oh my Oum! I won't survive against that many Grimm. I can't… I cannot go on. I can't move. What has happened to me?!_

 _"Hello, Petey. How nice to see you again, dear cousin."_

 _Oh Monty. H-him. It can't be him. Anyone but him! Please!_

 _"What are you doing?!"_

 _"Is it not obvious, Petey? I'm destroying the city."_

 _"This was you?! This was all you?!"_

 _"Yes. And now it's time to finish what I started when we last met. This is where you die, traitor."_

 _Oum, no. No! NO!_

* * *

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

What?! Where am I?! Where did he go?! Where are the Grimm?! Ruby!

…

Oh, thank Oum, it was just another nightmare. It's alright. Calm down.

It's scarcely imaginable that it has been one year to the day that Vale was annihilated. That so many innocent people lost their lives. That Ruby fell into her comatose state. It's been so long since I've seen her shining silver eyes, since I've heard her melodic voice. Why have you yet to awaken, Ruby? Why have you not yet returned to us?

"Petey?"

At least I can take solace in the fact I am not completely alone.

"Hello, Rouge. What is it?"

"I was just checking on you. You were tossing in your sleep again."

"You need not concern yourself, Rouge. It was merely another nightmare. I'm alright now."

"Again? You need some help, dude."

I appreciate the sentiment, but…

"Whom do you suggest I seek help from? Ever since the new Great War began, since the Grimm completely overran the city, hardly anyone we know is still amongst the living. Thomas and Indigo are dead, you said so yourself. Team PRTI is no more. Ruby is still in a state of unconsciousness. And I am scarcely acquainted with any other survivors down here."

"I'm still here. Plus, you still have a couple of Ruby's friends, right?"

"They hardly wish to speak with me. Not since Ruby fell into her present state. As for you, well, I vastly appreciate your wanting to help me, but I do not feel comfortable sharing what I saw in the realm of my dreams with you. I do not believe you would understand."

"Why do you keep saying that? I'm your friend. I wanna help. It's only gonna hurt more if you don't talk to anyone."

"Yes, but…"

Well, I, but… He's right. I have been entirely too anti-social since we all went into hiding. Perhaps it would do me good to mingle amongst others for a change. Especially if my chances of survival dwindle with each passing day. It would be nice to have some form of closure with the others before my untimely demise comes. But whom should I speak to first?

"Petey, I need to talk to you for a moment. Do you have time?"

"Not now, Weiss. I…"

No, wait. This is exactly the opportunity I was awaiting. I mustn't allow it to pass me by.

"Actually, yes. I do indeed have time. What is it you require of me?"

"Follow me."

Curious. Why does she wish to converse in private? What does she want? Is this something concerning dear Ruby? I suppose I shall find out presently. Hold on, why are there others here? Is this to be a group discussion? It matters not, I suppose.

"Hello, Blake. Penny. Mr. Xiao Long."

"Call me Taiyang, please."

"My apologies. Force of habit. Now, for what purpose have you summoned me, Weiss?"

"Well, Blake, Penny, and I have been… discussing something. Concerning Ruby. And since you two are her father and boyfriend, we felt it was best to include you in this."

"Very well, what is to be discussed?"

"Well, first, we want to say that we all care deeply about Ruby. She's our teammate and friend. And we wouldn't suggest what we're about to under any other scenario."

What could they possibly be suggesting?

"Ruby's been in her coma for a year now. I think we should consider the possibility that, well, she's never going to wake up."

I'm sorry, but _what?!_

"Are you suggesting that we simply give up on her? After all she's done for us? Would she do the same if you were in her present situation?! I think not!"

"I-I know, Petey. And again, this was not an easy decision for us to make. But still, we need to think realistically about this."

"Well, if being 'realistic', as you so bluntly put it, Blake, means giving up on her, I would much rather remain a permanent resident of Cloud Cuckoo Land, thank you very much!"

"I agree with Petey. I won't give up on her. I already lost one daughter, I don't want to lose the other."

At least I have some support on the part of Mr. Xiao Long.

"You have my deepest sympathies about Yang, Mr. Xiao Long. I miss her, too. But please, try and be reasonable."

"I won't hear of it!"

"Nor will I!"

Why do they continue to insist that we abandon Ruby?

"If I may interject, Ruby and I have been good friends for many years now, despite my artificial intelligence, but I'm afraid there is not much hope for her. Given the severity of the injury she suffered that day, and the time she has remained in a coma since that injury, the possibility of her waking up and making a successful recovery after all this time are approximately three thousand seven hundred and twenty to one."

"Never tell me the odds!"

Why must this argument continue? They speak of her as if she's either dead or shall soon be dead. She's still alive, is she not? That might be an excellent point to bring up in my favor.

"Why do you speak of Ruby as if she is deceased? She is not."

"We know, but you heard Penny. The odds that she'll wake up from her coma before she actually does die aren't great."

"What would you have done then? Just throw her out where she will most certainly die before she has a chance to awaken? I refuse to do such a thing."

"She won't make it either way. It's better to let her rest than cling to the fleeting hope that she'll wake up."

"Besides, it's very crowded down here and it's pointless to keep someone who's as good as dead. Plus, we simply can't afford to waste what few resources we have left on someone who's never going to be able to use them. There's barely anything left."

What?! How dare they…! The nerve!

"So that's it? You just want to toss my daughter out simply because she hasn't woken up yet, so that you can have more elbow room and food for yourselves?!"

Well said, Mr. Xiao Long. Well said indeed.

"No! Of course not. We just don't feel it's wise to hold onto false hope. We don't want to just wait for her to die. It will only be more painful when she does die. Think of it this way, if we do keep her, and she does die soon, it will only be more painful for you two when she does. It will be as if all your hope for her was for nothing. At least this way, she can rest peacefully, rather than surrounded by all our grief and sadness when she does officially pass. It will still be painful, yes. But it will be even more painful if we wait, and it turns out all our waiting, prayers, and hope for her was all in vain."

I fail to find any sound logic in your statements, Weiss. Any at all. Time to tell her off.

"So, say we do dispose of her body. If we do, she will most certainly, and without a doubt, die. Out there is an apocalyptic landscape where no one is able to sustain themselves. It's a miracle we have all survived down here for this amount of time. I would not be able to live with myself if I condemned Ruby to death while she still lives down here. I will not allow her to die until she does it of her own accord. If there is even a one percent chance that she shall live, I will not hesitate to take it. I will not allow you to abandon her simply to spare yourselves pain, moving space, or supplies. You claim it will be less painful if we do it your way. Well, I claim it will more painful if we do dispose of her. It will haunt me knowing that we sentenced her to death before her natural time, before knowing for certain whether or not she will truly awaken. So no. We're not going to follow through with your ludicrous suggestion. Only when her heart ceases to beat entirely will I even begin to entertain such an obscene possibility. Until then, she stays right where she is. End of discussion."

"But, Petey…"

"I said **NO!** "

…

"Petey, are you… Are you, _growling_ at me?"

Am I? I am. I am indeed growling at Weiss right now. No matter, she deserves it. Perhaps this whole 'socializing' business was a mistake. A dreadful mistake. That's the last time I take any semblance of advice from Rouge.

"Petey! Stop growling at me!"

"I have ceased growling at you. That noise is being made by an outside source. But what, exactly?"

* _ROAR_ *

Oh my, that does not sound very pleasant at all.

"It appears you have alerted the Grimm to our location with all your negative speech surrounding abandoning Ruby."

"Excuse me?! You're the one who got angry and started shouting!"

"Details. Now, I'm going out to fight them. Ruby better still be precisely where she presently is upon my return. Lest you wish for me to attract even more Grimm with the extreme displeasure and sadness I shall experience otherwise."

* * *

* _Third Person P.O.V_ *

Petey went outside into the ruins that were once the city of Vale. He was greeted by 40 different Grimm, all charging toward him. He immediately went to work trying to bring them down.

A Boarbatusk came charging toward him. Petey quickly smacked it with his flail, sending it flying. It landed on the ground, dead. 2 Beowolfs then came and tried to flank him. Petey jumped back and shot at them. One of the Beowolfs went down after a few bullets to the torso. The other one swiped a claw at Petey, who managed to sidestep out of the way and strike his flail into its back several times.

"Leave us alone!" Petey shouted with each hit of the flail. He then turned to the rest of the Grimm. "Well, come on! Fight me, you cowards! I'll slaughter every last one of you bitches!" He shouted.

An Ursa came up and tried to attack Petey, but he jumped into the air using his semblance. On the way down, he put several bullets into the creature. As he landed, he slammed his flail into another Ursa's head, immediately killing it.

After that, Petey used his semblance to jump toward a Creep, and knocked it to the side with his flail. Before it could get up again, Petey struck its underside with his flail. The spikes tore into its skin and eventually it died. He then hit an incoming Beringel square in the chin with his flail, injuring the creature, before he shot it point blank in the head.

"I'll kill anyone who comes near me!" Petey shouted.

When 2 Beowolfs came at him, Petey smacked one in the side, sending him flying into the other. Petey then extended the chain on his flail so he could strike them from a distance. He repeatedly hit the two Grimm in their heads with the business end of his flail until they both stopped trying to get up. He retracted the chain and aimed his rifle at a charging Beowolf. He shot at it as it ran toward him, and the creature fell down and died right at Petey's feet.

"ANY OTHER OF YOU SOULLESS, HELLISH MONSTERS WANT A GO?! I'LL RIP YOUR GUTS OUT WITH MY BARE HANDS, YOU WHORES!" Petey screamed at the top of his lungs.

But as he was shouting in blind rage, a Beringel snuck up behind him and swiped its paw at him. Petey flew several feet away and landed flat on his back. Before he could react to anything else, a nearby Death Stalker brought its stinger down on Petey. He flinched in preparation for his imminent death.

But before the stinger could hit Petey, a white glyph stopped the stinger while it was mere inches away from the Dog Faunus' face. Another glyph came out and summoned a giant suit of armor, which immediately killed the oversized scorpion.

"Don't think this means I'm not still unhappy over being needlessly shouted and growled at." The summoner of the glyph stated.

"I appreciate the noble rescue, Weiss." Petey replied.

Before their conversation could continue, 2 Beringels came charging toward the pair. Petey used his semblance to jump away and engage other Grimm, while Weiss stood to fight the two gorilla like creatures.

She armed her rapier with fire Dust and engaged them. She knocked one back with her glyphs and swung her sword at the other. A burning scar marked the Beringal's skin as Weiss continued her assault. She sent several more burning swings at the Grimm before stepping on top of a glyph so she stood slightly taller than the Beringel. She then relieved the creature of its head, leaving a smoldering hole in its wake. The Beringel from before then attacked, and Weiss jumped out of the way to attack it. She sidestepped its attack before jamming her rapier into its heart and using her semblance to send it flying beyond the horizon.

She then turned her attention to 3 Creeps coming at her. To combat them, she summoned a King Taijitu to combat them. The two-headed snake attacked the 3 Creeps, using one of its heads to bite into one of the creeps, piercing its head and body with its fangs. The second head picked up a second Creep in its mouth and flung it against a wall. A piece of said wall broke of and fell on the Creep, killing it before it could get up again. The large snake then surrounded the final creep. Each of the snake's heads bit down on the creature's body, then brutally ripped the Creep in two. The King Taijitu then disappeared, as Weiss went off to fight more of the Grimm.

Blake was busy dealing with a pair of Ursas. She threw her sword into the back of one of them, piecing it in the heart. She pulled back on the ribbon connected to her weapon, and it returned to her hand. She then used her semblance to jump over the head of the other Ursa as it tried to attack her. The shadow clone took the hit as Blake cut off the head of the Ursa.

She was then confronted with three Boarbatusks. As one of them charged at her, she threw her sheath at it, knocking it off its course and rolling past the Cat Faunus. As it passed her, she sliced the creature in half. She then turned her sword into a gun and shot at the second Boarbatusk as it tried to approach her. It came to a halt right at her feet, dead. However, the third one managed to sneak up on her, and rammed right into her. She fell to the ground as the Grimm readied itself for another strike. The pig like Grimm rolled toward her again, but when it struck her, she vanished. A shadow clone. The real Blake snuck up behind the creature and skewered it in the heart.

She turned around and came face to face with a Goliath. Blake jumped on top of it and struck it multiple times, but it's tough plating prevented any sort of permanent damage. When it tried to swipe its trunk at her, Blake ducked under it, then used her semblance to jump up on top of it to take down. Once she was on top of it, she grabbed onto its ear and sent several bullets straight into its large ear canal. When it tried to grab her with its trunk, she turned her gun into a sword and fought against the trunk until she managed to wound it pretty badly. A few more bullets down the ear canal, and the Goliath was no more, its brain obliterated.

When a Beringel approached Penny and tried to punch her, she grabbed its fist and broke its hand. She then used her impressive strength to throw the Grimm against a wall. Before it could get up again, Penny impaled it with her multiple swords. When 3 Beowolfs ran up to her, she simply swung all her swords multiple times, and all of them fell to ribbons behind her.

Penny then saw two Nevermores circling above her. She made her swords swirl in front of her until a green ball of energy began forming. She then made a punching motion, and the green ball turned into a laser, which instantly hit one of the Nevermores, causing it to fall to pieces.

Penny still had one more Nevermore to take care of. As it circled around her again, preparing to launch several sharp feathers at the android, she sent her swords straight at the large bird. They pierced the Nevermore in multiple spots. The Grimm screeched in pain as it tried to fly away, but Penny's superior strength kept her grounded. She started walking backward as the bird continued to struggle. She then grabbed the wires connecting to her swords, and pulled down on them, hard. The Nevermore fell to the ground, leaving a crater in its place. Penny ran for the creature as she retracted her swords. She ran for the creature's neck, having her swords make a spinning motion. Once she arrived at her destination, she brought her swirling blades down on the Nevermore, and it was immediately relived of its head.

Taiyang had his hands full with a few Beowolfs. He greeted one with an uppercut to the chin, before kicking it away. He then slammed both his fists on the creature's skull, eliminating it. Another one ran for him, but Taiyang simply sidestepped its attack then put his arms around its head and snapped its neck. When one more tried to attack him from behind, the older man turned around, and punched the Grimm in the chest. He hit with enough force that his entire arm went through the Beowolf. Once he pulled his arm out, the creature fell to the ground.

Taiyang turned and saw a Creep and an Alpha Ursa approaching him. He punched the Creep in the face, knocking it several feet. He then began fighting the Ursa. He wrestled with it for some time before getting a slid grip on its arm and thoroughly breaking it. He then shot it in the head as it screamed in agony. When the Creep returned, Taiyang grabbed onto its mouth as it tried to take a bite out of him. Mustering all of his strength, he managed to break the creature's jaws. He then finished it off with a punch to the head.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Qrow was here. That drunk jackass could have been a big help to us. Why did you have to go to Vacuo, dude? Ya couldn't stick around here a little longer?" The aging huntsman said to no one in particular.

He then saw Petey being attacked by a King Taijitu. He ran for them, and hit one of the snake's heads.

"Are you alright?" Taiyang asked the Dog Faunus.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you very much, Mr. Xiao Long." Was his reply.

"Taiyang, please. Besides, I owe you for helping me to defend my daughter."

Before they could continue, the snake recovered from the attack and prepared to strike. Taiyang aimed for the black head while Petey went after the white one.

Taiyang ran for it and jumped on top of its head. As it tried to shake him off, he repeatedly punched it in the skull. Once it stopped squirming so much, He delivered a hard punch, directly into its eye. As the beast screamed in agony, he twisted his hand around, feeling for something soft. When he found it, he crushed it. The snake's black head went down, dead.

Petey ran for the white head, and when he got there, he used his semblance to get above it. When he got close to the head, he slammed his flail into its head. He then continued to smash his flail into the Grimm's head continuously, the spikes chipping away at its skin. Once he finally saw actual skull, Petey shot at it repeatedly. Eventually, the creature died.

Petey turned his attention toward a Boarbatusk as it prepared to charge at him. When it did, Petey readied his flail for a strike. Once it was right in front of him, Petey swung his flail, cutting into its skin. The strike also knocked it off its course, sending the injured creature tumbling head first into a wall, where it then died. He was then confronted with a pair of Ursas. When one swiped its claw at him, Petey ducked it, and smacked it with his flail, sending it flying back several feet. The other one tried to attack, but Petey jumped over it. He then hit it in the back, knocking it to the ground, before shooting it in the back of the head. When the Ursa from before came back, Petey hit it in the nose with his flail before jamming the spiked weapon into its neck. He forcefully pulled the weapon out of the creature, taking a fair amount of flesh with it. He then shot it between the eyes.

"I'll slaughter each one of you! Come and take your beatings, assholes!" Petey shouted.

Three Beowolfs approached Petey, and he prepared to kill them. He extended the chain connecting his flail's staff to the spiked end, giving it longer reach. With the extra reach, he nailed one of the Beowolfs in the head. He then began retracting the chain, bringing the Beowolf with it. Once the Beowolf was within striking range, Petey smacked it with the opposite end of the flail. Petey proceeded to shoot it square in the chin. As it fell, Petey continued to shoot it in the chest until it began evaporating.

He then snarled at the other Beowolfs as they came close to him. When once tried to hit him with its claws, Petey swung his flail at the claw. He shot at its feet, knocking it into the air, then swung his flail around until the Beowolf fell to the ground. When the other one tried to flank him, Petey sidestepped the attack and began shooting at it. He kept shooting until he had no more bullets left, even though the creature was already dead.

When the Beowolf on the ground tried to get up, Petey put it back down with a strike of the flail. After several strikes, the Grimm stopped moving. But even then, Petey kept hitting it, giving grunts of anger with each strike. This went on until the dead creature evaporated, and Petey was just striking the ground.

He looked around for more enemies to decimate, but upon seeing there were no more Grimm, began to calm down. He then turned to his companions and said,

"I've had quite enough fighting for one day. Let us retire to our hideout before more Grimm are alerted to our presence."

The others nodded and followed him back into the nearly destroyed building they were hiding under.

* * *

* _6 months later_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

How long has it been since I've heard your sweet, winsome voice, Ruby? Your bright and prepossessing silver eyes? Far too long for my liking. Nearly a year and a half has passed, and my adoration for you has grown no less. But sadly, my fear that you shall never awaken has.

"Why must you be in such a macabre state right now? I should have been the one to take that blast. I miss you terribly every solitary day, my dearest rose. Then again, I am slightly thankful that you are indeed unconscious right now. Unlike the rest of us, you do not have to deal with all the suffering we have endured since Vale was destroyed. You are instead peacefully wandering alone in your slumber, unaware of all the loss that has happened. All the horrors. Even so, I wish for nothing more than to truly speak with you once again, rather than endlessly conversing with your unmoving body, hopelessly awaiting some sort of feedback from your end. Even if you are unable to reply, I pray that somehow, you are able to hear me. I want you to know that I love you, Ruby."

"…m…"

What?! Did…did Ruby just…? No, it's not possible. It simply cannot be so. It's too good to be true. But still, just to make absolutely certain…

"Ruby? Was that you? Please, give me some indication that you are finally waking up."

"…mh…"

Great Monty Oum, it was her! Her comatose state is finally nearing its end! I must keep speaking to her, guiding her back to the realm of consciousness.

"Ruby? Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?"

That was idiotic of me to say. Of course she wouldn't know her present location. Still, anything to attempt to get her to… Oh my goodness, her eyes are finally opening! I've forgotten how radiant they are.

"… Wh…ere… am I…?"

"Rest easy, Ruby. Just know that you're safe here."

"…Wh...who…are y…ou?"

Excuse me?! How could she possibly have forgotten me?! Oh no. Please do not let this be a sign that she has suffered amnesia during her time in a coma.

No, do not think as such. Try and remain positive, Petey. Perhaps her eyes simply are not fully functional yet. It has been quite a long stretch of time since she has really used them. Perhaps she simply requires time to adjust.

"Come now, you must remember me. We've been together for a great many years now. We've come to love each other greatly. Allow your eyes to focus, and you shall remember me, I'm positive of it."

"…Pe…tey…?"

Oh, thank Oum. She does remember.

"Hello, my darling."

"…H…hi. Where… are we?"

"We are presently in the basement of a large skyscraper in downtown Vale. Or rather, what's left of it."

"What… do you… mean?"

Oh dear. Here comes the part I dreaded the most. Having to inform her of all the damage and loss that has happened since she fell into a state of unconsciousness. Best get it over with.

"Well, you see…"

"Talking to her unconscious body again? You know, a lot of people would call you crazy for doing that every day. They probably already think it, but just won't say it."

Leave it to Blake to be perfectly blunt in any given situation. Then again, perhaps I should be thankful. I no longer have to inform Ruby of our terrible state alone. Perhaps the news will be better received if she is surrounded by what little familiar faces she has remaining in this wretched world. Speaking of, Blake does deserve to know of Ruby's improving physical state.

"She's not unconscious anymore, Blake."

"What?! Let me see! You better not be getting my hopes up over nothing or I'll… Oh my… Ruby? Is it true? Are you really awake now?"

"B…Blake?"

"Yes, I'm here. I'm so happy to see you're alright. The others will want to see you. Stay right here."

Not much option on her part. She does not yet have the necessary strength to move about.

"What's going on?"

"Please, calm down, Ruby. All will be explained soon enough. No, no. Don't try and get up just yet. You need to recover your strength before you can stand again."

Let's see, perhaps I should attempt to comment on something more positive before we get to all the inevitable negativity.

"I like the way your hair has grown out."

"My hair grew out?! How long was I asleep? I need to have it cut."

"No, no, no. I think you should keep it like it is. It actually looks quite stunning on you."

"You think so? I never thought I would look good with longer hair."

"If I may be perfectly blunt with you, Ruby, I believe that you thought wrong. You look very alluring."

"Thanks, Petey. But again, how long was I out?"

Oh dear, here comes all the negativity. Brace yourself, Petey. This will not be easy.

"Well, you see, it's been…"

"Ruby!"

Thank Oum. Support.

"So it's true. You are awake! I can't believe it! It's been so long! I was beginning to think this day would never come. I'm so glad I got my little rosebud back. I missed you, so much."

"Hi, dad. Good to see you too. Who else is here?"

"Here, talk to them yourself."

"Salutations, Ruby! It is great to finally speak with you again. I have missed your presence greatly, friend!"

"Hi Penny. I missed you too. How have you been?"

"I've been alright. Nothing sensational, but alright. Would you like to speak to your other friends?"

"Please."

"You dolt! Do you have any idea how worried we were over you?! You've always been prone to making rash decisions, for better or worse. But leaving us behind to worry like we did was certainly worse! Don't ever do something like that again, do you hear me?!"

Wow, quite crude, Weiss.

"It's good to see you too, Weiss. I missed you."

"I…missed you too, Ruby. I was so worried you'd never wake up again. It's been so long."

"Why do you guys keep saying that? How long was I asleep?"

Oh no, now there's no conceivable way to avoid all the shocking revelations of our time since she went into her coma. It's best to get it over with. This will not be pleasant.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Tell us, Ruby. What's the last thing you remember, before waking up just now?"

What was it? I think Petey and I were in the city. But why? There was an explosion. What happened?

"Petey and I saw an explosion and rushed back to the city and then… Oh my goodness! The Grimm! They're attacking the city! We have to help!"

"Ruby, Ruby! Please, calm yourself."

"I can't be calm! Vale's in trouble, and we need to defend it! Get moving everyone! Urk!"

Why am I so weak all of a sudden? I must get past this. I must…

"Don't get up. You're not strong enough yet. Here's what happened, Vale was attacked. Grimm and Mistral soldiers invaded the city and killed several people. But, the thing is, that was a year and a half ago."

" ** _WHAT?!_** "

Oh, Monty! NO! It can't be. It just can't! I couldn't have been asleep for that long.

"You've been in a coma ever since, Ruby."

"H-how did I…"

"You risked your life to save me from an imminent gasoline based explosion while in the city. I was not greatly injured, but you… I'm so sorry for having to have put you in such a heinous position Ruby. You escaped death, but only narrowly. I brought you into the basement of the building you collided with, where you have been kept safe ever since. Over time, I collected other survivors from the assault, few as there were. I'm extremely fortunate to have found your friends and father."

Gasoline? Oh wait. Now I remember. Petey would have died if I didn't push him. But still, a year and a half. I could have been doing something with that time. Stupid coma! Why did this have to happen?

"Why did Mistral attack us?"

"No one knows. But evidently, similar attacks took place in the other three kingdoms on the same day. It sparked a second Great War."

Another war?! This is terrible. So much loss. Why couldn't I have done something?

"Based on the rumors, not many people survived in the other kingdoms either. And all the militaries are depleted as well. Remnant's population has likely been reduced to just a few thousand people, if even that. And that number drops every day."

N-no. There has to be something we can do. We can't let the bad guys win!

"Isn't there anything we can do? Any leads at all?"

"I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I think I know who's behind this."

"Who is it, Dad?"

"They call her Salem. She's the queen of Grimm, so they say. She's planned to bring about the destruction of all life on Remnant for some time now."

"Salem, huh? Alright, we just have to find her and beat her and we can all live in peace again."

"I don't think we can."

"Why not, dad?"

"Look around! Our numbers are too few and we barely have enough to get by. There are almost no Huntsmen or Huntresses left. We have nothing to combat her with. Besides, I wouldn't let you fight her either way."

There has to be something, anything! Please, I don't want to give up.

"But, I… I don't wanna give up."

"I don't want to either, but if you really think that you can fight her all by yourself, like you always did, you probably lost your mind when you lost consciousness."

What did he just say?!

"Really dad, really?! Now's not the time for your jokes."

"You call that a joke, Ruby!?"

"Hush, Blake. Seriously, dad. That's the kind of thing I'd expect from Yang. Speaking of which, where is she? If Weiss and Blake are here, surely Yang is too. Yang, where are you?"

Where could she be?

"Ruby, this won't be easy to hear, but, like I said, a lot of people died when Vale was attacked."

Yeah, I heard. What does that have to do with Yang?

Oh no.

"I tried to call her right after it all began, but when she picked up, all I heard was a scream of agony and the line went dead. What I mean to say is…"

"No. Please, no!"

"…Yang's gone."

NO, NO, NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Please! My sister, she can't be… NO!

* _breaks down crying_ *

"Oh, Ruby, I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Don't touch me, Petey!"

Yang, you can't be dead. You just can't. Maybe you're still hiding somewhere. M-maybe we can still beat this Salem. But wait, dad said we have nothing. Maybe we can, we can, we…

We _can't_. There's nothing we can do. We have nothing. No more Huntsmen, no more Huntresses. No more big sister. No more anything! Why do we even try anymore? Why should we try? What reason have I to try and keep fighting?

I don't. I have nothing. All we can do is delay the inevitable. We're all going to die. It's all gone. I have nothing to fight for. So I'm not going to. Might as well give up.

That's exactly what I'm going to do.

* * *

* _Another 6 months later_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

It pains me to see Ruby so despondent after all this time. What happened to the optimistic, innocent girl who wanted to keep fighting even in the face of overwhelming odds? Ever since she awoke from her coma she's been overly bitter and depressed. What happened to you, Ruby? Why do you go where I cannot follow? I must keep trying to free her from her desolate state.

"Hello, Ruby. How does the day find you?"

"Petey. What do you want?"

"I'm merely trying to make conversation. Is that so wrong of me?"

"It is when I want to be alone. Now go away!"

"What happened to you? You were previously so dedicated to trying to protect Remnant. So full of life and energy. What happened?"

"That was when we still had a chance to make things better. When I had something left to fight for. When I was still an idealistic little fool."

"It's not foolish to try and save the world. What's foolish is trying to give up, saying you have nothing left."

"Well I don't! My sister is dead. Most of my friends are dead. We're all just waiting for the Grimm to come and kill us. We've lost."

"That's not true! You still have me, and Weiss, Blake, Penny, and your father. It sounds to me like you have an awful lot left to fight for."

"You heard my dad, everything's gone. It's only a matter of time before they are to. I'm sick of losing everything. So you can do whatever you want. I'm going to lie here."

Why are all my attempts all for naught? Why will you never respond positively, Ruby? I must keep trying! Do not give up, Petey!

"In any case, I was just about to venture outside to engage some Grimm in combat. I was wondering if you wished to accompany me. It has been an exceedingly long time since we have spent some time just amongst ourselves. Alone."

"I don't feel like it."

"Please? I cannot bear to see you so desolate and depressed. This could actually be beneficial for you."

"Why bother? It's not like killing a few Grimm will fix anything."

"You used to think so."

"Not anymore. Just leave me alone."

Not yet. I must get through to her. I must get her up. I'm getting tired of her sour attitude.

"No. I will not relent. You must come out with me. I'll drag you out if I must. Do not test me."

"Alright, fine! If it will get you to leave me alone! I still think this is pointless."

Perhaps I do need to be a tad more firm with her in the future. Nevertheless, we must head out, lest the Grimm discover us first.

"Very good. Let us depart."

"Petey, may I talk with you for a moment?"

"Oh, certainly, Mr. Xiao Long. Ruby, go on ahead. I promise to catch up."

"…"

Still with the agitated mood? Why must she be this way? It wears on me very fast. I suppose I'll have to ponder the situation later. For now, I must speak to Mr. Xiao Long.

"What may I do for you, Mr. Xiao Long?"

"Taiyang, please. I just need to talk to you for a few minutes."

"Very well then."

* _one discussion later_ *

"I see. You've given me much to reflect upon. Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long. Now I must return to Ruby. Be well."

Now, I wonder where exactly Ruby has wandered off to. Hopefully she has not ventured far.

* _grunt of pain_ *

Wait, what was that? It surely wasn't…

"Ruby? Where are you?"

"Over here."

Oh, thank Monty that she… Good grief! What happened to her?!

"Ruby, are you alright?!"

"I'm fine. Not that it matters."

"'Not that it matters'?! You've been hurt! Do you even have any Aura left?"

"It was going to happen sooner or later. All we've done is stall it."

Again, with her quitter's attitude? This is getting on my last nerve!

"I thought I said to stop talking like that. It's not like you."

"What do you care? Not like we'll make it more than a year, tops. I don't have anything to fight for anyway. Neither do you."

She's really getting to me now. Must…resist…anger.

 _She needs a good shouting at._

No! Try to resist.

"I don't believe that, Ruby."

"Well then, you're just kidding yourself like a fool!"

" **THAT'S IT!** I've had it up to here with your negative attitude! You've done nothing but sulk and be depressed since you awoke from your coma! And I'm sick of it!"

"Well, what do you want from me?!"

"Whatever happened to the sweet girl who always loved cookies and strawberries and wanted to do good no matter the odds? Remember her?! I detest this imposter that stands in her step. That stands before me, now."

"That girl is gone. She died when everything she knew and loved went straight to Hell. When she lost what little she still had worth fighting for. Why does anyone give a damn anymore? We're all scraping to get by. Everything's gone. It's not like it could get worse."

"See? Right there! The Ruby Rose I know would scarcely, if ever, resort to such vulgar language and downtrodden accusations."

"That Ruby is gone. Now get out of my way. I'm going to fight more Grimm. That's what you wanted, right?"

"Not like this. Not while you're like this, not while you're so despondent. Honestly, if Yang were still alive, is this really what she would have wanted? To see you like this?"

"She would have wanted to live! She would have wanted her husband and baby to live! But they didn't! She didn't! I'm getting out of here."

"Stop right there! If you so much as make one step in the opposite direction, I'll… I'll… I'll fight you myself!"

"Please, it's not like you could take me."

"For the woman I once loved, for what I still have left to fight for, I will attempt to, and I will succeed."

Am I really going to do this?

Yes.

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Ruby and Petey stood off against each other for a few seconds before Ruby made the first move.

She dashed at him with her semblance, running straight into him and knocking him back several feet. When he got back up, he pulled his flail off his back and prepared to fight.

He jumped toward her with his semblance and swung his flail at her. She dodged each swing and then retaliated with a swing of her scythe. She swung several times, with Petey just barely able to dodge the sharp blade.

When she swung again, Petey intercepted it with a swing of his flail. The spiked weapon wrapped around the scythe, bringing both fighters to a stalemate.

They stood still for some time, trying to separate their respective weapons, before they were finally able to force themselves apart. Petey then jumped incredibly high into the air and began shooting at Ruby as he landed. He did his best to only shoot around her, and not exactly at her, since she likely had little to no Aura left. Once he landed, he continued his assault.

He continued to swing his flail at Ruby while she blocked all the shots with her scythe. Eventually, she parried one of his swings and started going on the offensive. She twirled her scythe around, repeatedly trying to strike him with the blade. She eventually landed a good hit on Petey. He flew back several feet before lading flat on his face, his Aura beginning to flicker away.

Petey got back up and jumped behind Ruby with his semblance. He then grabbed on to her and jumped into the air with his semblance. He only jumped about 50 feet in the air, he didn't want to hurt Ruby. Once he was up there, he let her go. She fell to the ground, hard, while Petey landed gracefully on his feet. The last of Ruby's Aura disappeared as she got back up.

Ruby ran for the Dog Faunus again, and swung Crescent Rose at him several times. He dodged each swing and parried with a strike of the flail. They continued to exchange weapon swings until Ruby decided to go with a different tactic.

She firmly planted her scythe in the ground and began trying to shoot at Petey. He dodged the shots and then shouted at her.

"Are you mad, woman?!"

She didn't respond, only continuing to fire at him. Petey retaliated by using his semblance to jump toward her. He landed right on top of her scythe, balancing himself on top of the large weapon. After a few seconds, Petey made a move.

He backflipped off of the scythe, hitting Ruby in the chin with his foot. The impact knocked Ruby back while Petey landed on his feet.

Ruby picked up her weapon and continued to attack Petey. After several swings of the scythe, Petey decided to end this. Petey swung his weapon downward, just as Ruby was doing a spin to strike him. The spikes of his flail tore into the fabric of Ruby's cape. After that, he swung his weapon upward, pulling the hood up and over Ruby's head. Petey then yanked his flail out of Ruby's cape, which caused her to become disoriented by the sudden yank. She then started running in the direction that she thought Petey was in, swinging her scythe rapidly in front of her, not bothering to pull her damaged cape off of her head. She kept swinging wildly until she ran into a wall, causing her to fall down and drop her weapon.

As she was pulling her hood back into place, Petey leapt next to her with his semblance. He then put his arms around her and squeezed tight.

"Let go of me! Let me go right now!" Ruby shouted as she struggled to get free.

"No. I will not relent. Not until you return to your former self." Was Petey's response.

"I can't! It's too late! I've lost too much."

"I'm not saying it's wrong to grieve over what you've lost. We all experience great sadness at some point in our lives. But what is important is rising above that sadness. Yes, we've all lost a great deal, you have, your father has, your friends have, and I myself have. We've all lost a great deal. But that only makes me appreciate all that I do have left. I still have a handful of friends and confidents, and I still have you, the love of my life."

"You would still love me, despite what I'm like now?" Ruby said as she stopped struggling.

"Yes. While I cannot say I particularly enjoy your new personality, I still wish to care for you because of the great woman you once were. You were a silver lining in an otherwise boring life that was once mine. Once I met you, I finally began experiencing true happiness. I'm so sorry about everything you've lost. But as I recall, last time it seemed as if all was lost, at the fall of Beacon, all those years ago, you rose above it all and fought to try and fix it. I greatly admired that about you. I know that this time, you've lost even more, as have I. But I'm still willing to fight to try and end all this suffering." Petey said as he released Ruby.

"Why? Why continue to fight if you know you're probably going to lose?"

"Because of you. Even as the world around me began to expire, you still remained. I tried to follow the example you set, and not give in, even in the face of overwhelming adversity. It has carried me far, and has kept me alive until now. You never wanted to give up, so I made myself do the same until you awoke. You always wanted to help others, so I did the same. That's why I gathered survivors from the attack and offered them shelter. Because I wished to be like you. But to see you like this, it fills me with nigh overwhelming despair, as it does your friends and family."

"I…I didn't want to make you sad. I just couldn't deal with losing nearly everything at once. Not this time."

"It was hard, I'll admit. But still, as I said, I wanted to be like you. To be a light to those who had also lost everything. I did it because I missed you. I loved you. I still do. So please, may I have that Ruby back? The one who inspired me to fight on and never surrender, no matter the odds? The one who offered kindness to everyone she met?" Petey asked.

* * *

 _*Ruby's P.O.V*_

He did all of that because of me? And all I've done is push him away. Push everyone away. Why? Because I was afraid to lose them too? I shouldn't have. I…I…

* _breaks down crying_ *

What have I done?! I pushed away everyone who tried to help me. I shouldn't have. This isn't like me. I'm a horrible person!

"I'm…I'm so s-sorry, Petey!"

"It's alright. Let it all out. I'm here as long as necessary."

He really is a good person, isn't he? And he said all he did was copy me. I shouldn't let him do all this alone. I should help. I WILL help. It's time to get back in the game. I will defeat Salem and make things better again!

"Thank you, Petey. For not giving up on me. I love you."

"I love you too. Now, let us return indoors. I'm sure the others will be elated to see the restored you."

Yang, mom, Uncle Qrow, wherever you are, please give me some strength. I could use it if I'm going to help defeat Salem. For all of you, and for the others, I will succeed.

* * *

 **Ok, wow. This turned out a Hell of a lot longer than I initially thought.**

 **You know what I'm going to say, right? I'm sorry this took forever, blah blah blah, all that good stuff. The reason this took so long is because, honestly, I spent more time planning out my next story than I did focusing on this one. Rest assured, I have every intention of finishing this story before I start my next one. I don't think I could handle two stories at once.**

 **Anyway, as far as this chapter goes, yeah, this was probably my weakest chapter. My intent with Ruby was to make her act the same way Yang did at the end of Volume 3. Sad over everything she lost, bitter and depressed, etc. But to be honest, I probably could have done much better.**

 **Despite that, I'm pretty positive the next chapter will be better. However, I'm kind of dreading having to write it. Simply because I have an insane amount of crap planned for it, most of it fight scenes. It's probably going to turn out similar in length to this one. But still, I think it will be better than this chapter.**

 **Despite the weakness of this chapter, be kind regarding any form of feedback you might leave. I'll accept constructive criticism, but I will not accept overly negative comments. So, please, do not attempt to leave me any such comments.**

 **Until next time, see you later and have a happy new year!**


	15. Endings and Beginnings

**New chapter alert! New chapter alert! All personnel, proceed to your stations and prepare for reading! This is not a drill! I repeat: THIS IS NOT A DRILL!**

 **Anyway, as I once said, I'm slightly nervous about writing this chapter. I have a lot being crammed into this chapter, so I hope it turns out alright. Whatever, I'm sure it will be fine. The real question is how long will it take to finish. I am starting this chapter roughly a day and a half after posting my last one. How long will it take? Let's find out.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

 _*Roughly one year after the last chapter*_

 _*Ruby's P.O.V*_

* * *

Wow. 3 years. 3 whole years since Vale, since Remnant, was destroyed. Why? Why would Salem do this? More people are dying all the time. Can we even still win? What if we die too? What if…?

No! Don't think like that, Ruby! We have to keep going! Everyone I know has fought too hard for me to give up! I can't believe I gave up on them for a little while. I never would have gotten back to my senses if it weren't for Petey.

Petey. How you still managed to find good in me when I was at my lowest, I'll never know. But I'm glad you did. I love you so much. Maybe I should do something nice for him sometime soon. But what? Maybe I could… no, he's allergic to those. Or I could… wait, where would I even find one in a desolate wasteland like this? What should I do?

"Ruby? Are you coming?"

Maybe I'll think on it later.

"Coming, Blake! Petey, are you coming?"

"Not quite yet, Ruby. There are… some matters I must attend to right now. But I promise, as soon as I have some unoccupied time, I shall seek you out and join you in your escapades toward annihilating the Grimm. Stay safe."

"Alright, you too. Bye!"

Time to knock some Grimm senseless.

* * *

* _far side of the destroyed city of Vale_ *

"Alright, is everybody ready? Weiss, Blake?"

"Yes. We're ready to fight beside you, or die trying."

"Ok then. What are we up against?"

"That pack of Ursas approaching us."

"Just one pack? Salem's getting lazy. Let's do this!"

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

The 3 Huntresses ran toward the pack of Grimm before them.

Ruby ran forward with her scythe as one of the Ursas ran for her, with its claw raised. They ran past each other and swung at each other, then stopped. The Ursa's head then fell off of its body while Ruby was unscathed. Another one ran up to her and tried to hit her. But when it swiped its claw, there was nothing but rose petals in the space in front of it. As it looked around, a flurry of petals ran around the Ursa several times before it stopped, revealing Ruby. The Ursa then fell to several pieces behind her.

As another Ursa approached her from behind, she jumped over it and cut it clean in half before landing. She then swung her scythe at another one, leaving a large gash in its back and making it fall down. Ruby twirled her scythe around before bringing it down on the creature's skull.

Weiss was busy taking on an Ursa. It tried multiple times to swipe its claws at her, but Weiss either dodged or used a glyph to block. Eventually she went on the offensive, slashing the large creature with her sword, knocking it back. As it recoiled in pain, Weiss impaled it in the heart with her rapier before sending it flying with her glyphs. As another tried to attack her, she jumped out of the way and attacked it. She summoned two Beowolfs to fight for her. The two Beowolfs charged at the Ursa and repeatedly clawed at it until they brutally ripped the Ursa apart. The two Beowolfs then disappeared as Weiss went about fighting other Grimm.

Weiss used her glyphs to step over an Ursa as it tried to swipe a claw at her. Once she was behind it, she swiftly decapitated it. She then ran up to another Ursa and armed her rapier with her last bit of Fire Dust. Using this and her summoning skills, she produced a blazing Beowolf. The Beowolf viciously attacked the Ursa until only a burned and charred corpse remained.

Blake had her hands full with two of the Ursas. When one charged at her, she used her semblance to jump over it, letting her shadow clone take the hit. Once she was behind it, she jammed her sword into the base of its spine, then thrusted it downward, nearly cutting the Grimm in half. The other Ursa ran for Blake and tried to strike her, but she quickly turned around and stabbed the Ursa right in the skull.

When she saw another Ursa about to attack Ruby from behind, Blake threw her sword at its heart then retracted it with her ribbon. Blake then confronted another Ursa, slashing it multiple times across the chest while it tried to land a few hits on her, to no avail. Eventually, Blake landed a devastating blow on the Ursa, knocking it back and killing it.

All three girls were busy fighting Grimm, but as they did, they did not notice a few more approaching them. The Grimm prepared to strike the Huntresses from behind.  
But before they could, a blade came out of nowhere to kill the Grimm. Only then did Ruby, Weiss, and Blake see the Grimm behind them, as well as who had killed them. There were two of them. A human male and a Lamb Faunus female.

"Looks like we got here just in time." The human said.

"Thanks a lot, whoever you are." Weiss said.

"Wait, I think I recognize these two. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've seen them around our hideout. Your name is Mary, right?" Ruby said the Lamb Faunus.

"Yes, and this is Azazel." Mary stated.

Before they could continue their conversation, the remaining Grimm attempted to attack the group of Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"Let's save this little chat for after we clear out the Grimm." Mary said as she ran to engage the Grimm.

As one of the Ursas approached Mary, it prepared to swipe its claws at her. But just as it swung, Mary used her semblance, teleportation, to teleport behind the beast. Before the Grimm could react, Mary drew her weapons, dual longswords with Dust clips in the handles, and stabbed one of them into the back of the creature's head. She then teleported in front of another one as it was about to attack Azazel. She used one of her swords to block an attack from the Grimm, and used her other one to kill it.  
She then teleported about a foot above another one. She began falling toward it, and when she landed, she jammed both her swords into the Ursa's back. Next, she teleported in front of another Ursa and put both her swords to its neck. She then cut its head clean off.

Azazel was busy taking care of a few Ursas himself. He brought out his weapon, a simple katana, and went to town. He ran for one of the Grimm and swiftly engaged it. He blocked a blow from the creature and pushed it back. He then swung his sword at the creature's neck, and it immediately fell. When another one tried to attack him, he parried the attack, slicing off the Ursa's arm, then putting his blade into its skull. Next, he ran for another Grimm, and when it tried to strike him with its claws, Azazel ducked out of the way and swiped his sword at its legs. As the Ursa fell, Azazel got up and jammed his katana into the creature's back. As the Grimm began to evaporate, Azazel pulled out his sword and engaged another Grimm. He ran toward it, and swung his sword at it multiple times. But it somehow managed to either dodge or shrug off each strike. The Ursa then swiped a claw at the Huntsman, and he was thrown back several feet. The Ursa then went in for the kill. But as it raised its claw, Azazel turned around at lightning speed and impaled the creature in the heart.

"Surprise, asshole." He stated as the Ursa began to evaporate.

He then looked around and saw that there were no more Grimm to kill. He regrouped with his friends as they noticed the same thing.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

That wasn't so bad. If Salem is as intent of wiping us out as dad says, wouldn't she have sent more Grimm to fight us? She might be planning something else. Maybe we should head back and talk about it. I don't want to bring in anymore Grimm.

"Let's head back before we attract anymore Grimm."

"Wait. I hear something."

"What is it, Mary?"

"This way! I think someone is nearby!"

'Somebody'? Wait, does that mean someone else is out here? Then that means… other survivors! We have to help them! Maybe they can help us in the final battle against Salem, whenever that is. Now where is this guy? Maybe I should follow Mary.

Hey, there he is. Why is he swinging his sword at nothing? Is he a Huntsman? Why does he look so familiar? And is that…? Emerald?! Mercury?! Cinder?! They're here?! How!? Whatever they're up to, they need to be stopped!

"Wait a sec. Mary, doesn't that guy look a little familiar?"

"You're right, Azazel. It almost looks like… our old teammate, Povelitel."

Wait, Povelitel? As in, Yang's husband, Povelitel? My brother-in-law, Povelitel? He's alive!? Then, could that mean…? We have to save him! He could lead us to her!

"Someone stop them! They're going to kill him!"

"I'm on it!"

I can always count on Weiss.

"In the name of Vale, Remnant, and the future of everyone still alive, DIE!"

"Emerald, look out!"

* _Weiss impales Emerald_ *

Oh my Oum! That was… Goodness! At least that's one less to worry about.

"Mary? Azazel? Ruby, Weiss, Blake?"

"Hello, Povelitel. Long time no see. We thought you were dead. Same goes for Lucas and Yang. Where are they?"

"Yeah, where is my sister?"

Please say Yang's alive! Please say Yang's alive! Please! Please! Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!

"Yang's fine, I'll take you back to her later. As for Lucas, he really is dead. I saw him die right in front of me. I'm sorry."

YES! SHE'S ALIVE! My big sister is still alive! Praise Monty Oum! I can see her again! I've missed her. I feel like I'm going to cry. Oh, wait, what a shame about Mary and Azazel's old teammate, Lucas. Another good life, gone. Oh well, we can mourn the dead when we beat Salem. And at least my sister is still alive! We can…

* **BANG** *

What?! What was that?! Wait, Mercury, Cinder. They need to go down!

"We'll take on Cinder. You three get Mercury."

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Mary Azazel, and Povelitel engaged Cinder in combat while Ruby, Weiss, and Blake led Mercury away from them and began to fight him.

As the three huntresses rounded a corner and prepared to engage Mercury, they all noticed one thing.

He was missing an arm.

"What happened to his arm?" Ruby wondered out loud.

Mercury heard what she said and decided to answer her.

"Because of that bastard with the spikey sword back there, I got two bullets to the arm several years ago. So they had to slice my arm off before hauling me to prison. Hopefully once we deal with him, she'll grant me a new arm, at long last."

"Well, now you know how my sister felt, all those years ago, thanks to you and your band of jerks!" Ruby said.

"Just for that, I'm gonna kill you first, bitch!" Mercury replied.

Mercury fired a blast from his shotgun boots at the trio, who immediately scattered. Ruby used her semblance to run for him. Before he could comprehend what was going on, Mercury was knocked to the ground by the swish of a scythe. Ruby stopped, then turned around and prepared to strike him again. But just as she brought her scythe down, Mercury rolled out of the way and got up.

He fired another shot at Ruby, but it was blocked by a glyph, as well as its summoner standing in front of Ruby. Weiss ran for Mercury, swinging her sword in his direction. He dodged each swing until she jabbed him in the chest with her rapier. Mercury was thrown back several feet, but got up and continued his assault.

He leapt toward Weiss, who dodged with a well-placed glyph, but he jumped off it and then swiped a leg at her feet, knocking her down. He then prepared to bring his foot down on her face, but just as he raised his foot, Blake came in and struck him with her sword. When he tried to strike back, Blake simply vanished. A shadow clone.  
Mercury was about to continue attacking, but before he could move, a flurry of rose petals came toward him and knocked him back. Before he could get up, the flurry came at him again and swung a scythe at him. Ruby appeared and Mercury tried to attack her. She blocked several of his attacks with her scythe, but she left herself wide open after one swing, and Mercury took advantage of that. He roundhouse kicked her in the stomach, knocking her back several feet.

Ruby got up and grabbed her scythe while Weiss and Blake approached the one-armed villain. They ran for him, but Mercury took them both out with a spin kick. He went for Blake, but when he struck her, she vanished. Another shadow clone. Right as Mercury got up, he was tackled to the ground by a white Beowolf. It tried snapping its jaws at him, but he somehow kept it at bay with his one arm. Mercury then blasted it in the stomach with his boots, and it disappeared. After having her summon destroyed, Weiss ran for him. She lunged her sword at him, but he dodged.

Mercury proceeded to punch her in the face and knock her down. Before he could land another blow, he was hit by two simultaneous attacks from Ruby and Blake. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Once he got up, a flurry of rose petals came straight at him and swung a scythe at him. He flew back several feet, right into Blake. She brought her foot right down on Mercury, knocking him to the ground, hard.

He swung a leg at her feet before standing up. Blake fell, and Mercury prepared to end her with a boot to the head. Once he brought it down, though, she vanished. Yet another shadow clone. Mercury tried to hit the real Blake, by jumping above her and, again, trying to connect his boot with her face. But Blake intercepted his attack, and his boot hit her sword instead. She pushed Mercury off her sword, and he landed several feet away from her.

"Ruby, catch!" Blake shouted. She then threw her weapon, ribbon and all, to Ruby.

Ruby then started running around Mercury as fast as her semblance let her, while tying up Mercury with Blake's ribbon. Once she had run out of ribbon to tie up Mercury with, she gave it a hard tug, and the ribbon started coming unraveled. Mercury was sent spinning like a top until he got close to Weiss, who hit him hard with her rapier, sending him to the ground. Once Mercury's head stopped spinning, he saw all three Huntresses surrounding him, each one with their weapons pointed at him.

"Impossible! How did you all become so strong?!" Mercury asked, still dizzy.

"We're not who we were last time we saw you. We've had years of practice and training since then. Plus, this time, I actually have my weapon." Ruby stated.

"Not to mention we hold a numbers advantage." Blake pointed out.

"Well, let's fix that a little bit, shall we?" Mercury said right as he put his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle.

Before the Huntresses could ask what he had just done, someone jumped down in between them. She swung a foot at Ruby, knocking her off her feet. Then she aimed for Weiss, who tried to strike the assailant, but the attacker gracefully dodged the attack and used an umbrella to knock Weiss several feet into the air. Next, she ran for Blake, who also tried to attack the assailant. But she simply sidestepped the attack and jumped on the Cat Faunus' shoulders. Blake tried to attack again, but the attacker used the momentum of Blake's failed attack against her, throwing the Faunus several feet away.

As the three Huntresses got up, they got a good look at their attacker for the first time.

"It's you!" Ruby shouted.

Standing before them was the ice cream themed psychopath, Neopolitan, who bowed respectfully to her opponents.

"I doubt all that fancy training and numbers advantage can let you take on both of us, Huntresses!" Mercury stated, getting up.

Just as Mercury got on his feet, however, someone jumped on his back, sending him face first into hard concrete.

"Then I suppose it's fortuitous that reinforcements have arrived, providing these Huntresses with even more laudable training and an even more prodigious advantage in numbers." The person standing on Mercury said.

He then jumped off of Mercury, and landed next to Ruby. When she looked at him, her eyes went wide and she smiled.

"Petey!" She shouted. Ruby then proceeded to give her Dog Faunus boyfriend a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"I apologize for my tardiness, but it became onerous to locate you once I departed. You've all ventured rather afar from the hideout this time." Petey stated.

He then turned to the bad guys, and prepared to face them. He remembered that last time he fought Neo, he had beat her by endlessly insulting her dead boss, Roman Torchwick. This had upset her to no end, and it caused her to make many mistakes, until ultimately, Petey came out victorious. Well, if it worked once…

"Do you really expect to triumph over us? We have effectively gotten the better of you both in the past, and we can do it again. Tell me, do you recall what is was that got the better of your dear companion, Roman Torchwick? Oh, that's right, it was the horrible stomach acids of a deadly Grimm." Petey stated.

To his surprise, Neo's expression remained unchanged. This wasn't right.

"That won't work anymore. That loser died years ago. She's gotten over it. You can't use his death as ammo against her anymore." Mercury stated.

"Uh oh."

Neo leapt toward the group, poised to attack. They all managed to dodge, but just barely.

"You two deal with Mercury. Petey and I will get the ice cream girl." Ruby shouted.

With that, Weiss and Blake started fighting Mercury and led him away from Petey and Ruby.

Petey and Ruby stood off against Neo, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Ultimately, Ruby made the first move, turning into a flurry of rose petals and dashing toward Neo. The ice cream girl, though surprised by Ruby's incredible speed, had no problem dodging the attack.

She sidestepped Ruby's attack and swung her parasol at Ruby's feet, effectively tripping her up. Ruby fell to the ground and rolled to a stop. Petey then decided to make a move on her. He jumped toward Neo with his semblance, his flail poised to strike her in the head. But right as he was about to hit her, she disappeared, and a glasslike copy was left in her place. The illusion shattered, and Petey's flail struck the ground. He looked around for his opponent, and he found her sitting on a nearby piece of debris, just waiting for him to make the next move.

He and Ruby surrounded her, and prepared to attack her. They both swung their weapons at the at the same time, and neither of them hit Neo. She spun around, knocking both weapons out of her way with her boots. Neo then got up, and went on the offensive. She ran for Ruby, preparing the small sword hidden in her umbrella. Ruby swung her scythe in front of her to block all the blows from Neo. However, Neo jumped on top of the scythe, and before Ruby could react, Neo jumped behind her, and delivered a kick to the back of the head.

Petey went in to attack, an angry expression on his face. He swung at Neo while her back was turned, but without even turning to face him, she dodged his attack with ease. He continued to swing his flail at her without mercy, but she either dodged or parried all of his attacks.

"Stay still, you little bitch!" Petey shouted in between swings.

Neo merely smirked at him as she continued to evade his attacks. Ruby got up and ran to attack the ice cream girl. But when she made it to Neo, the shorter girl twirled around, and hit Ruby in the back. The hit sent Ruby off course, and she ran straight into Petey.

The two Huntsmen got up and continued to attack Neo. They swung their weapons at her at the same time, but when they struck, the ice cream girl shattered like glass. Ruby and Petey stood there, confused.

"Where is she?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know, Ruby. But keep looking, the smug little brat could be anywhere. Stay sharp." Petey replied.

After making his comment, Petey's sensitive dog Faunus ears heard a 'whoosh' sound coming toward him and his girlfriend from behind. He immediately knew what that meant.

"Ruby, get down!" The Dog Faunus shouted.

Before she had the chance to ask why, Petey pushed her down then jumped to the side himself. When he looked between himself and Ruby, he saw Neo with her parasol, extended blade and all, lodged into the ground. Petey got up and prepared his flail for a strike against the mute assassin. But she simply pulled her weapon out of the ground and used it to block Petey's strikes.

"I'll shove my flail down your throat, you stupid little asshole!" Petey said while trying to hit Neo. He then added, "Don't you ever get tired!?"

Ruby ran for Neo while she was preoccupied with Petey. Right as Neo knocked Petey to the floor again, Ruby swung her scythe at Neo's back, but the shorter girl still managed to dodge somehow. Neo turned her full attention to Ruby, going on the offensive against the red hooded Huntress. Ruby used her superior speed to dodge Neo's attacks, but only barely managed to do so. Every time she tried to strike back against Neo, her attack was simply parried by the ice cream girl.

Eventually, Neo managed to incapacitate Ruby by knocking her off her feet then slamming her to the ground. Ruby hit her head once she hit the ground, disorienting her and rendering her unable to attack. Neo then pulled a blade out of her parasol, and prepared to bring it down on Ruby's chest.

"No! NO! Get away from her right now or I'll rip your spine out, you ugly little whore!"

Neo brought her blade down and it landed beside Ruby, rather than through her like Petey had expected. He then looked at Neo. She had a blank stare in her eyes, as if she were experiencing flashbacks.

Ruby used this distraction to her advantage. She sent a hard kick to Neo's stomach, knocking her down. Ruby then got up, and ran to Petey's side.

Petey took notice of Neo's reaction to his last comment, and decided to try something.

"So, I take it you don't like in when I insult you like that, huh slut?" Petey stated.

Neo's expression changed to that of a combination of anger and sadness. Petey then figured: If endless insults had defeated her last time, it should work again. He just had to change what he insulted her about.

"Ruby, follow my lead." Petey whispered.

"Ah, yes. I can see it now. You spent most of your life as a call girl, didn't you?" Petey asked.

Neo's only response was gritted teeth and small tears in the corners of her different colored eyes. She ran for them, blade drawn, and swung. The two Huntsmen managed to dodge, but only barely.

"No doubt your incredible flexibility came from how many drunk men you had to satisfy every day. I bet that number was exceeding high." Petey commented.

"Um, yeah! I… uh… I bet you like to kiss butts, too!" Ruby tried to chime in. Keyword: tried.

Nevertheless, Neo got even more angry at the two, tears streaming down her face as terrible memories came flooding back to her. She lunged at them again, and managed to knock them to the ground.

Neo approached her fallen opponents, blade in hand, tears on her face and teeth gritting in anger, and prepared to finish them off, but then her eyes caught something behind her enemies and swung her blade at this something, then ducked out of the way. Ruby and Petey immediately saw the corpse of a Beowolf fly over their heads and fall to the ground before disintegrating.

A few stray Grimm had closed in on the fighting trio, being drawn in by Neo's ever increasing sadness and the sounds of combat. Ruby and Petey got up, grabbed their weapons, and continued to fight.

Right after bashing a Beowolf's head in with his flail, Petey said "Can you persist in engaging the Grimm, or would you rather I find a real man to accomplish the task so that you may 'reward' him for an exceedingly well done job?"

Neo got even more upset and ran for Petey and Ruby again after stabbing an Ursa in the brain. She traded several weapon blows with the Huntsman and the Huntress, still holding them off despite the tears in her eyes.

Ruby used her semblance to cut several Grimm down to size before making her way to Neo. Ruby managed to land a string of attacks on the ice cream girl before knocking her down. She was about to bring her scythe down on Neo, but got distracted by a Creep that came up behind her. Ruby quickly dispatched with the creature while Neo got up and grabbed her parasol.

"How did you even come to possess such fighting prowess? Was it when you came to be in the servitude of Roman Torchwick? Wait, were you…? Oh my Oum! You were his personal prostitute, weren't you?! Oh my Oum, that is hysterical! * _hearty laughter_ *" Petey taunted after disposing of a Boarbatusk.

Neo was now shaking with rage at all of Petey's comments. She then did something she hadn't done since her last encounter with the Dog Faunus. The last thing either Huntsmen expected the assassin to actually do.

She spoke.

" _ **SHUT UP**_ _ **!**_ "

Neo kicked both Ruby and Petey to the ground as tears flowed from her eyes like water from faucets. She then raised her parasol and began viciously striking the two Huntsmen.

" _You have no idea, **no right to say** , what I've been through! Every day a new horrid, ugly old man! Each one worse than the last! You have no clue what I had to endure! But I know what you're about to endure!_" Neo shouted.

She smacked the both of them with her parasol.

" _You're about to endure a world of pain…_ "

Another smack.

" _…suffering…_ "

Yet another smack.

" _…torture…_ "

And another.

" _…dismemberment…_ "

Neo drew the blade out of her parasol and turned it around, as if preparing to stab them.

" _…and finally, a gruesome and horrible dea…!_ "

* **CHOMP** *

A King Taijitu had come up behind Neo and brought its massive head down on the assassin. The giant snake then threw its head back and swallowed. Ruby and Petey could only look on in shock as they saw a bulge go down its throat until reaching the stomach. The King Taijitu had just eaten Neopolitan whole.

The beast roared as Petey and Ruby got up and grabbed their weapons. The giant snake tried snapping its two mouths at the two Huntsmen, but they managed to dodge each hit.

The snake's black head tried to get at Ruby again, but she knocked it back with a swing of her scythe. She then used her semblance to run on top of the creature and landed several blows on its back. The King Taijitu screamed in pain before throwing the red hooded Huntress off its body.

Petey started to attack the white head of the King Taijitu by repeatedly striking at it with his flail.

"Die you oversized leather belt! I'll rip your scales out one by one if I need to!" Petey said in a rage. He continued to strike the snake with his flail.

Eventually the snake managed to throw Petey off of its head. The Dog Faunus then flew into a crashed gasoline truck on the side of the road. Petey got up, looked at the tanker truck, and already a plan was forming.

"Ruby! Lure the King Taijitu toward me! I have an idea!" Petey shouted.

Ruby nodded in affirmation, and began trying to push the snake back toward where her boyfriend was. She used her semblance to run around the snake, and began walking backward toward Petey. The giant snake followed its prey, trying to kill her.

While Ruby was distracting the Grimm, Petey used his flail to puncture a hole in the gasoline tank. Gas began spewing everywhere, pooling all around the immediate area. Once it reached the giant Grimm, Petey put his plan into action.

"Ruby, run! Get out of here! This whole area is about to explode!" Petey screamed, unwilling to let the woman he loved get into another gasoline related accident.

Ruby nodded, and ran away from the scene as fast as her semblance would allow. Petey then looked at his weapon. He noticed he only had one bullet left for his flail, the rest of his spare ammunition having been depleted over the past three years with no way to replenish it.

"My last piece of ammunition. I hope I don't make an inaccuracy with my aiming." Petey said to himself.

Petey then noticed that the King Taijitu was right behind him, preparing to strike. Just as it did, Petey used his semblance to jump as high as he could away from the snake. Once airborne, he aimed his flail's rifle near the snake.

"See you in Hell!" He shouted before firing.

* **KABOOM** *

Petey's bullet hit the gasoline, igniting it. The ensuring explosion engulfed everything in the surrounding area, including the King Taijitu. Even the building the gas truck has crashed into began crumbling down. Petey landed a fair distance away from the explosion, where Ruby was waiting for him.

When the smoke cleared, there was no sign of the snake like Grimm. It had been eliminated. Ruby then embraced Petey in a tight hug.

"It's finally over." She said.

Before Petey could respond, his dog ears picked up the sounds of a battle going on nearby.

"I'm afraid your assumptions are fallacious, Ruby." Petey said.

Ruby then remembered that Blake and Weiss were battling Mercury. She and Petey ran towards the battle. Once they arrived, they saw Weiss and Blake still fighting off Mercury. It appeared that the 3 of them were in a stalemate. Ruby and Petey decided to turn the odds in their favor by attacking Mercury.

Ruby ran for him from behind, slashing at him with her scythe. Mercury fell to the ground due to the unexpected attack. Once he got up, Petey grabbed him, and jumped 500 feet in the air with his semblance. He then threw Mercury down onto the roof of a tall building. The Huntsmen and three Huntresses used their respective semblances to get on top of the building. Once they were all there, they were greeted by the sight of Mercury's aura flickering away, the man himself looking incredibly tired, but still wanting to fight.

"Give up, Mercury! It's over. Your little ice cream friend is dead. We have you cornered and outnumbered. Just surrender now and save us all the hassle." Petey said.

Mercury panted heavily before replying.

"Never!"

The silver haired boy swung a leg at all of them. They ducked and continued their assault.

Blake ran for Mercury and swung her sword at him. He dodged and tried to kick her in the face, but when he hit her, she vanished. Just a shadow clone. Before Mercury could react, Weiss came at him with her rapier, stabbing him in the side. Mercury stumbled backward, clutching his bleeding side. He looked up again, only to see Ruby approach him with her scythe raised. He tried to jump out of the way, but wasn't fast enough, and Ruby sliced off his mechanical right leg. Mercury hopped around until Petey hit him with his flail, further injuring the villain and knocking him off the building.

Mercury was holding onto the edge of the building for dear life with his one arm. The group of Huntsmen and Huntresses surrounded him. Ruby then reached her hand out toward him.

"Mercury, grab my hand if you wanna live! We promise we can help you if you can tell us all you can about Salem. Please! We really need your help!" She shouted.

"What you need to do is die in a hole, shorty! Do you really think you can do anything against her? She'll snuff all of you out before you can even lay a hand on your weapons. There are few things more terrifying to me than surrendering to my enemies. But her… I'd sooner take my chances with Hell!" Mercury said with a scoff.

He then let go of the building and plunged downward until he landed head first of the ground. The small group of heroes looked on in shock before jumping off the building themselves. They all landed safely on the ground and gathered around Mercury's unmoving and blood splattered body.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Oh my Oum! D-did he just…? Why would he do such a horrible thing?! Even if he was evil, there had to have been a better way! Not like that.

"Is he really…?"

"I believe he is. I hear no heartbeat coming from him. It seems he decided to terminate his own life rather than submit to us. No matter what their moral standings, it horrifies me whenever someone performs such an egregious act. What drove him to take such an abhorrent action is beyond me. I can only surmise that he feared Salem more than he loathed us."

"Well, we should get moving. There's still one more."

Blake's right! Cinder! We need to get her.

"Wait, there's one more what? Where are you going? I believe the hideout is in the opposite direction."

Was Petey here when we ran into Yang's husband? No, I don't think he was. He should know that we found him.

"Weiss, Blake, go on ahead. I'll catch up."

"Alright."

"Don't take too long."

* _Blake and Weiss leave_ *

"Would you mind informing me as to why everyone is acting in such a peculiar fashion?"

"Right after we left and dealt with some Grimm, we ran into…"

I-I still can't believe she's alive, and so is her husband. It's so much to take in. I feel like crying. Wait, focus, Ruby! Get back to talking to Petey.

"We ran into Yang's husband, Povelitel. And he said that Yang is still alive! I HAVE to see her again, Petey! I just have to!"

"Is… is that so?! Well, I must say that is certainly… unexpected. But still, it's marvelous news, nonetheless. I'm sure you must be elated. If that is indeed true, then go. I can tell that this is something you must accomplish. You deserve this vigorous bout of happiness. Especially after all that has happened after all these years. I pray that your sister is well, as is your reunion. I shall see you at a later time."

"Wait, you're not coming?"

"No. This is a task you must accomplish on your own. I desire not to interfere in a family reunion. After so much time believing her deceased, you deserve one on one time with Yang. I've spent more than enough time with you since the day Vale was obliterated. And I'm sure we shall have much more time together after this day. But for now, I must allow you to be with her be your lonesome. I have no desire to be the third wheel."

"Well, fine. I can't say I don't want to be alone with Yang for a while. Thanks for understanding, Petey. But do me a favor, when you get back, tell dad that Yang's alive, and that I'm going to bring her back tomorrow."

"Very well. I promise to deliver this message to your father. I hope that we shall encounter each other again in the not so distant future."

"Bye Petey. I love you."

"I love you too, my dearest rose. More than words could ever express."

* _they kiss_ *

I still think I need to do something really nice for him sometime soon. He's so sweet and kind and smart. But what? Why am I thinking about this now? I need to get back and beat Cinder. Hopefully I'm not too late.

* _runs to where Cinder last was_ *

Where is he? Where is Povelitel? Did Cinder kill him like she did Pyrrha? Oh no. Please don't say that. I can't lose the only person who can bring me to Yang! Where is he?! Where are Weiss and Blake? Oh, there they are. And Povelitel's alright too. I hope.

"Povelitel?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ruby. I beat Cinder. She's gone."

He killed her? He did! It's over! She won't ever hurt anyone ever again!

"Oh, thank Monty! What about the rest of your team?"

"They were flung far away during the fight. I hope they're alright."

I hope so too. We need all the help we can get. Please be alright. Please. I really hope that they'll be fine. Anyway…

"We got Mercury, too. What do we do, now?"

"I bring you guys to Yang."

* _abandoned Dust building, far side of Vale_ *

"Well, here we are. This is where Yang and I have been hiding at for the past 3 years."

"Really, just the two of you?"

"Well, no. We've had some steady company over the years."

What does he mean by that? Has it not just been him and Yang all these years? Who else could it be? Almost everyone in Vale is dead. Could it be maybe their baby? That's right! These two had a little baby before the city was destroyed! He's got to be like, 3 years old now! I hope I get to see him too! Well, if I want to see them, I guess I should go inside.

"Yang?"

Is she in here? Where is she? Where is she!? Move, Povelitel! I wanna see my sister!

"Pov! Where were you?"

"Things took an, interesting turn out there. I ran into Cinder and her lackeys out there. It's fine, Yang. I killed her. She's dead. They're all dead."

C'mon! Where. Is. My. Sister!? I need to see her with my own eyes.

"That's not all I ran into out there."

Oh my gosh. Is it really her? Is she real? It's her. It's her! IT'S HER!

"R-Ruby? Blake? Weiss? Is it really you?"

"YANG!"

* * *

* _back at building basement hideout_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

At long last, I have completed my daring trek home. Home. It's perplexing to think that I have come to consider this desolate, cramped, stuffy basement as home. I sincerely hope that it does not remain my home for what remains of my natural lifespan. No matter, for now, I must inform Mr. Xiao Long on the news of his eldest daughter.

"Hello, Mr. Xiao Long."

"Call me Taiyang, please. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"My sincerest apologies. Force of habit. From an early age, my father taught me to be respectful in front of my elders. If they deserved respect, that is. Which I believe you do. In any case, there is a matter of the utmost significance I must speak to you about."

"Wait, where's Ruby?"

"Well, you see…"

"Lucenay, where is my daughter?!"

I ponder how he will react when he discovers that Yang is still alive. I needn't ponder it, I'm about to find out.

"Please, be at peace, Mr. Xiao Long. I can assure you that Ruby's fine. But she will not be joining us tonight."

"Well what does THAT mean?!"

"She'll be spending the night elsewhere. Her exact location is currently unknown, at least, to me. But before she set out, she imparted to me a message that she wished passed along to you."

"Oh really? And what did she say?"

Well, here it goes.

"She wished for me to inform you that your eldest daughter, Yang, is still amongst the living. She has not quite departed for the afterlife yet. Ruby also wished for me to say that she intends to return Yang here tomorrow."

"…Wh-what? Y-you can't be serious. I mean… how… could she… is it... is she really…? How do you know?"

Oh my. It appears I might have broken him. Then again, I imagine it's not easy to accept the fact that someone you have thought dead for so long, especially your offspring, is still alive. Wait, what did he ask? Ah, yes…

"I'll grant you that I have not seen her with my own eyes. Ruby claims this to be true based on the words of others. Specifically, the words of Yang's husband, who Ruby claims to have interacted with."

"How do I know that it's true?!"

"What reason would I have for fabricating such a tale? What could I possibly gain from spouting such lies?"

"Well, if it is true, then we have to go after them. Come on!"

Wait a moment, what time is it? It's… Is it so late already? I don't believe it's wise to leave.

"Hold, Mr. Xiao Long. I don't believe departing at this hour to be a wise decision. Night shall soon be upon us, and this is when the Grimm are at their greatest numbers. I feel it is best to wait here for the night. Besides, I trust in Ruby's word to return her sister here safely in the daylight hours."

"Yeah, but… I mean… Ugh, fine. We'll wait."

"Wise decision. Now, I believe I am going to retire early. Tomorrow promises to be quite an exciting day. Good evening."

Oh, yes. Tomorrow shall prove very interesting indeed.

* * *

* _later that night, Yang's hideout_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Yang? Yang, are you awake?"

"* _yawn_ * I am now. What do you want, Ruby? It's like, 2 in the morning."

"I-I couldn't sleep. I have a lot on my mind."

"Oh really? Like what?"

Where do I even begin? I have a lot to say, but I don't think I can say it. Does that make sense? I better say something before Yang goes back to sleep.

"Well, everything that's happened, it's a lot for me to take in. You're still alive. And your family is too. You're also with your mom. I can't really think straight anymore. I'm not sure how I'm feeling."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for so long I thought you were dead. So now that I know you're not, it doesn't really feel real. And you being with your mom. I always forget that we're not full sisters. But I always loved you like one. Does that make sense?"

"It does. And I think I get what you're going through. It's a lot to take in at once. You feel like it's all too good to be true. But it is true. I'm here, and I'm not letting you go again. To be honest, I kinda felt the same when I saw you. I missed you so much, sis. We may not have the same mother, we may only be half-sisters, but still, we are just that, sisters. We grew up together, laughed and loved and played together. You'll always be family to me. No matter what. So are Blake and Weiss, but you especially. Don't ever think you're not just 'cause I have a husband and kid now. Now come here, cuddle with your big sister."

"Yaaaaang! Don't you think we're a little old for that?"

"C'mon Rubes, we may both be adults now, but there are some things that we'll never outgrow. Spending quality time together is one of those things. Now come here, before Pov gets back from watching for Grimm."

"Well, alright. If you say so. Goodnight, Yang."

"Night, Rubbles."

I'm never letting go, either.

* * *

* _the next morning_ *

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

* _incredibly loud thunder and lightning_ *

Wha…?

" _You thought you could hide forever, you thought you could avoid me forever, you thought wrong._ "

What the…?! What is it?! Who said that?! It's coming from outside! Who could it…? Great Monty Oum! She looks scary! Could it be…?

"Salem?"

" _Indeed, it is me. I have come to destroy you all once and for all. My pawns have failed to do so. All of you are very strong, I will give you that. Strong, honest souls amongst you all. But despite that, you shall all meet painful demises. It is time that the plague of humanity was purged from this world._ "

"I'm glad that you could make it, Salem. We were just looking for you."

How long has Yang's mom been looking for Salem, exactly?

" _You would have never found me. You are resourceful, Raven. You always have been. But the human mind can only go so far. The seed of hope can only grow so much before it wilts. Now, it is time to wilt these pesky weeds._ "

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Salem summoned black bolts of lightning from her fingertips, and aimed them at the small group of huntsmen and huntresses. They all jumped out of the way and prepared to attack. Blake and Weiss made moves to try and attack the witch, but they failed miserably. Then, Yang's husband went in to strike Salem, but wound up getting grabbed by the neck and chocked by her.

Raven went in to save Povelitel, swiping her long red sword at Salem. The evil queen of Grimm released Povelitel, and stepped back. Raven's sword swing had struck Salem in the face, revealing that she wore colored contacts as well as face paint. Her true eye color was shown to be silver, not red. This brought the most surprise to Raven and Ruby. They both stared at Salem for some time before Raven spoke up.

"Summer? Is that you?"

"Mom? Is it really you?"

" _It most certainly is me, Raven. Ruby. Surprise!_ "

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

N-no. No! NO! NONONO! It's not true! That's impossible! That… that can't be my mother! My mom died a long time ago! Like a real huntress! She was GOOD! She couldn't be Salem! She couldn't be the one that destroyed the world and tried to kill everyone. SHE WOULDN'T! She wouldn't do such a thing!

" _You seem surprised, everyone. I'm not sure why. If you had an ounce of common sense, you would have known all along I was the destroyer of Remnant. The queen of Grimm. Tell me, Raven, why do you think the team nearly died so many times during our missions? Why do you think the Grimm never attacked me? I wanted you 3 to die, I ordered the Grimm to kill you. I hated all of you! I hated you, that drunk asshole, Qrow, and that annoying, pathetic weakling, Taiyang. Now I shall do what I could not accomplish during our time at Beacon._ "

"But mom, why? Why would you do this? I loved you. We all did. The Summer Rose I knew couldn't do this!"

" _There never was a Summer Rose. That was just a clever ruse I created so I could destroy you all from right out under you. It's too late for all of you._ But it's not too late for you, Ruby, dear."

That's what my mom should sound like. Loving and nice. Not… evil Salem voice.

"You're still my daughter. I still care for you. You were always meant to be my successor. That's why you were born. Now come and take your rightful place at my side, sweetheart. Don't you remember all the cookies, all the bedtime stories, all the lullabies? We can be like that again, all you have to do, is join me. Mommy will protect you from this nightmare, and give you powers beyond any known to Remnant."

Was… was I meant to be like her? Is that really the reason why I was born? Just to take her place? Should I join her? Maybe I should… I mean… like she said… she did always…

Wait, no. I don't remember her ever telling me bedtime stories or making me cookies. Or ever try to protect me. She died before I could remember her. For as long as I could remember, it was dad, Yang, Uncle Qrow. They protected me. They made me cookies. They loved me. And then I met Weiss and Blake and Petey and so many other friends. They loved me. They're my family! I won't leave my family! I won't leave those that love me!

"N-No! I won't go with you. I don't want to go with someone who doesn't love my friends, my father, or me. I can tell you don't really love me, _Salem!_ "

" _Then you are weak! You are as pathetic and stupid as your father, and your dumb blonde half-sister! You are no daughter of mine. If you love these people so much, then you can die with them, you worthless, idiotic girl!_ "

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Ruby grew incredibly distraught at hearing such awful things, especially coming from not only one of the most powerful beings on Remnant, the one who has almost completely destroyed the planet, but also her mother.

In her despair, she felt a strong power building up in her, near her eyes. Ruby blasted bright, glowing beams of silver from her eyes and directed them toward Salem. When the beams faded, Ruby was left with a roaring headache, but didn't pass out like she did last time she used her silver eye powers. Unfortunately, when the reaper looked back toward Salem, the evil woman showed no sign of being affected by Ruby's attack.

" _Stupid girl. Did you really think that would work on me? Have you forgotten that I too, possess the power of silver eyes? Did you not think that I also have more mystical powers? No known force will be able to stop me now!_ " Salem stated.

Ruby looked at her mother in fear. If that didn't stop Salem what would? Could anything beat her?

" _You have no hope of beating me. The only people that you have are your pathetic friends. And they shall all perish soon enough._ " Summer taunted.

"Don't forget about me!"

Ruby looked toward the source of the new voice and saw none other than her father, Taiyang Xiao Long.

" _Well, well, well. Look who it is. Long time, no see, Tai. Have you come to die?_ " said the witch.

"I came to protect my daughters from you, and to stop you! I can't believe I actually loved you at one point." Taiyang stated.

" _Nor can I. It will be a pleasure to watch you die, as well as your daughters, and their friends. Kill them, my pets!_ " ordered Salem.

Hordes of Grimm approached the small group of Huntsmen and Huntresses as Salem disappeared. As the Grimm rushed toward the group of Huntsmen and Huntresses, they all prepared their weapons and prepared for the fight of their lives.

A pack of Beowolfs made their way toward Yang, who quickly took them all out with several charged shots from Ember Celica. When an Ursa tried to strike her from behind, Povelitel simply stabbed it with his sword. He then went about slaughtering several more Grimm using his spiked sword.

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake also had their hands full with several Grimm. A Creep charged at Ruby, who used her sniper bullets to bring it down. She then ran forward with her semblance and sliced several Grimm down to size with Crescent Rose before stopping to catch her breath. After that, she raised her scythe and started running again, heading for a King Taijitu.

She sliced at the giant snake, knocking it back as she ran on top of it. She sliced into one of its necks several times until the head came apart from the rest of its body. She then ran for the other head. When it tried to bite at her, she jammed her scythe into its mouth, the tip of the blade coming out the top of the snake's head.

A pack of Boarbatusks began to approach the red Huntress at an alarming speed. She then used her own alarming speed to take them out. Ruby sliced one clean in half right as it crossed paths with her. Another one tried to jump at her, but Ruby stabbed it in the belly while it was in midair. She then took out another one of the pig like Grimm by bringing her scythe down on its skull as it prepared to attack her.

Right after she took out another of the Boarbatusks, a different one charged at her and knocked her to the ground. When it charged at her again, she used her semblance to avoid its attack and grab her weapon. Ruby then used said scythe to kill the very Grimm that had dared to knock her down.

After getting up, she ran for another one of the Boarbatusks and sliced its skull clean in two with her scythe. Another one curled into a ball and tried to charge at her, but Ruby sidestepped its attack and killed it just as it passed her. Another one came at her from behind, but she jumped over it and killed the creature while in midair. Right after she landed, she swung her scythe behind her, ending the life of another one of the Grimm. Two more of them came at her at once, but the red clad Huntress swiftly disposed of the two pig creatures by dual striking them with the long blade of her scythe.

After annihilating the entire pack of Boarbatusks, Ruby was immediately greeted by the sight of a multiple Ursas surrounding her.

"This day is not going to get any better for me, now is it?" Ruby muttered to herself.

The Ursas all charged at her at once. Ruby used her semblance of incredible speed to cut a path through the large, hulking creatures. After clearing a path through them by slicing them down, she used her semblance to run up a building before jumping off and landing right in the middle of the pit of Ursas, her scythe blade being swung rapidly.  
4 Ursas died instantly upon Ruby's impact with the ground. She then swung her scythe at another one, relieving the Grimm of its head. Ruby then spun around and stabbed another Ursa right in the heart. Another one approached her from the left, but Ruby managed to intercept its attack and cut it clean in two, right down the middle.

Right after she finished off that Ursa, another one approached her from behind and knocked her to the ground with one of its massive claws. Ruby's weapon fell out of her hands and slid a few feet away from her. Ruby looked up at the Ursa and saw that it was preparing to bring its claws down on her. She braced herself for the impending impalement she was about to receive.

But it never came. She looked up at the Ursa again and saw it back away from her again. The remaining Ursas followed suit. Ruby lied there, confused, until she saw Salem float down several feet in front of her.

"You!" Ruby shouted.

She then got up and used her semblance to run toward Salem. Ruby tried to attack her, but Salem simply knocked her back a great distance with a simple smack of the hand. Ruby's aura was almost completely depleted by the attack. She couldn't even get up.

" _Stupid girl. Did you really expect to beat me? You're as much of an imbecile as the man who raised you and the daughter who shares his worthless name._ " Salem calmly stated.

Ruby wanted to say something in retaliation to being insulted like that, as well as her father and sister being insulted, but she was in too much pain to even move, much less talk.

"And yet even now it is not too late for you, Ruby." Salem then said in a calmer voice.

"You are my child. You were made to succeed me. That is the purpose for your existence. Come with me, and I'll treat you the way a mother should treat her daughter. I will give you knowledge and power like you would never even dream of. You will want for nothing ever again. Join me now, and I'll even spare all your friends. The time to choose is now." Salem continued in a much more calming tone of voice, arms spread to embrace Ruby.

Ruby thought for a moment on her mother's proposal. Should she join her and ensure her friends survival, but at the cost of submitting to everything she worked her whole life to destroy, or keep fighting against them, but probably die? Ruby then made her choice.

"NO! I'll never join you! You're a liar and a fiend! You're not my mother! You wouldn't spare my friends even if I joined you! I wouldn't join you in a million years!" Ruby shouted.

Salem grew angry at Ruby's refusal and grabbed Ruby by the neck.

" _So be it. It seems you were destined to be a failure from the start. Nothing more than a flaw in my grand scheme. It was foolish to think you would amount to anything. I have no desire to converse with a broken tool such as yourself. You're nothing but wasted potential, a failed product of my own ambitions. I should have never given birth to you, if this is what you have become. I only allowed myself to have you because I thought you might be useful to me one day. I see now that that was a folly. You will watch as your putrid friends are slaughtered one by one in gruesome fashions, and then it is your turn. I shall take great pleasure in watching my pets destroy you. Farewell, you worthless waste of space._ " Salem said as she released Ruby.

Salem's words left Ruby shocked. To be called a complete failure, to be told that she should never have existed, to be condemned to death by her own mother, it weighed heavily on her. She barely registered Salem leaving the scene and summoning hordes of different Grimm in her place.

Once she did notice the Grimm, she grabbed her weapon and prepared for what would likely be her last fight.

A Creep lunged at her, but she cut it down before it could land on her. She was then assaulted by a Beringel, she swung her scythe wildly in its general direction, hoping to land a decent hit on it, but its tough bone plates prevented Ruby from doing as such. The gorilla-like Grimm grabbed her by the head and threw her in the direction of a King Taijitu. Ruby couldn't really focus, and barely registered what was going on until it was almost too late. The snake brought its massive head down on Ruby, but she used her semblance to get out of the way just in the nick of time. She then grabbed her weapon and continued fighting.

She was completely surrounded by Grimm on all sides. She was shaking with fear, but still raised her weapon. The Grimm all ran for her, ready to kill her. But before they could reach her, something jumped in front of the red clad Huntress, grabbed her, then jumped away.

Upon landing, Ruby looked at what had grabbed her. She saw a Dog Faunus looking back at her.

"P-Petey?" Ruby asked.

"Thank Oum I have managed to track you down. It becomes increasingly wearisome to keep track of you these days. Furthermore, I would like to declare… Ruby, are you alright? You look as though you have stared at the very face of death." Petey said.

"It's Salem, she's… she's my mo…" Ruby started.

"Hold. Please save your commentary for after we are done with the Grimm." Petey interrupted.

Said Grimm came charging at the pair of Huntsmen, having finally caught up to them, and they were ready to kill both of them. Ruby and Petey were ready to do the same.

A bunch of Creeps, Ursas, and Beowolfs came charging. Ruby decapitated two of them with one swing of her scythe, then cut down a Creep by slicing it in two. Petey hit an oncoming Ursa right in the head with his flail. A Beowolf came up behind him, but he jumped behind it and lodged his flail into its back. Suddenly, another Ursa came up and swiped its claws at Ruby. She fell to the ground as Petey looked at her worriedly. He killed the creature that had dared to attack his girlfriend before turning back to her.

"Ruby! You have to focus! I can't do this by myself! Now let's get back to it! It's time to slaughter these ugly monsters! Come at me, stupid beasts!" Petey screamed.

"Uh, yeah, right." Ruby replied before grabbing her weapon and returning to the fight.

Truthfully, Ruby was having a hard time focusing on fighting. Everything Salem had said to her was weighing heavily on her, and she couldn't help but think of all while fighting. Not to mention that she was already starting to feel exhausted and low on aura after all that had happened since the fight began. Nevertheless, she fought on.

She killed a Beowolf that was about to attack her Dog Faunus boyfriend by putting her scythe through its brain. Two more approached her from the side. She sliced them both in two with one clean slice to their torsos. However, she still wasn't paying very much attention to her surroundings and was taken down by a Beringel. Before it could finish her off, Petey jumped in and knocked it off its feet with his flail. As the creature fell, Petey swung his flail near the Beringel's head. The spikes of the flail tore into the gorilla's neck, instantly killing it.

"Ruby! You must focus! I am unable to protect you and fight off this many of these stupid Grimm at the same time!" The Dog Faunus shouted as he was killing an Ursa.

"Yeah, you're… you're right." Ruby said in between breaths. She then proceeded to cut a Creep clean in two. Then she relieved two Beowolfs of their heads in one fell swoop.

"That's the spirit! And just remember, I'm still here for you. As is everyone else, whether they are here or in spirit, such as your mother." Petey continued.

"Mo-mother…" Ruby said, starting to panic again. Her hands began shaking, and her head once again began filling with all the unpleasant things her mother had said and done to her, as well as Remnant in general.

She barely even noticed the increasing numbers of Grimm that were surrounding her and Petey. She only noticed then when an Alpha Beowolf swiped its claws at her torso, knocking her back. She regained her composure and sent a few sloppy scythe swings at the enormous creature. A few of these swings later, the Grimm fell. Ruby then went about swinging at other Grimm.

Petey smacked his flail at an oncoming Ursa, then hit another one over the head, shattering its skull. But then 3 Creeps came in and took their place. Before he could do anything to them, a Beowolf struck him from behind. He recovered from the attack, and struck down the terrible creature with one well-placed swing to the monster's neck. But before he could do anything else, one of the Creeps from before landed a hard blow on him. His aura began to visibly flicker as he tried to face the Creeps again. He smacked one of them upside the head and hit another one in the side before swinging downward and hitting it again in the base of the skull. The third one tried to attack him again, but he parried its attack with his flail, knocked it off its feet, then ended its life with a precise hit from his spiked weapon.

"This is beginning to wear thin." Petey stated as more and larger Grimm began to surround him and Ruby.

Ruby was still having difficulty concentrating on fighting the Grimm. She didn't even notice the Beowolf in front of her until it swiped its claw at her face, depleting the last remnants of her aura. She then swung her scythe at the creature, instantly killing it. But just then, a King Taijitu and a handful of Ursas surrounded her. She swiped her weapon at the gigantic snake's face, but that only knocked it away for a few seconds. As she swung, one of the Ursas swiped a claw into her side. She winced in pain, but then killed the Ursa. Another Ursa then swiped its claws into her back. She spun around and killed that Ursa, but another hit her with its claws. The King Taijitu recovered from its attack and continued to attack Ruby.

Petey knocked a Beowolf down and bashed its brains in with his flail, but a different Beowolf left its claw marks on his unprotected back. He screamed in agony, but then turned and killed the creature with a mighty swing of his weapon. However, he was then attacked by the opposite head of the same King Taijitu that was attacking Ruby. He just barely managed to sidestep its attack, but then had the massive claw of an Ursa swipe his leg, forcing him down onto one knee. He kept trying to defend himself with his flail, but just felt more claws hitting him and more energy being lost.

"I think… I think this is the end, Ruby. Ah! We're not… going to make it. Goodbye, my dearest rose. Goodbye!" He shouted.

Petey looked up and saw an Ursa raise its claws, aiming for his throat. He closed his eyes and prepared for the embrace of death. But just as the Ursa began its strike, bright golden shockwaves raced through the entire City of Vale. All Grimm were immediately disintegrated, while Ruby and Petey were only knocked back a slight bit. The two of them then got to their feet.

"Well… that was quite a strange occurrence. A bit of a Deus Ex Machina, if I do say so myself. Would you not agree, Ruby? … Ruby?"

Petey looked over at his girlfriend, and saw that she was literally shaking with panic. The near-death experience at the hands of the Grimm, coupled with all the horrible things her own mother had said to her that day had caused her to enter something of a panic attack. She merely dropped her scythe and ran off as fast as she could to try and collect her thoughts.

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"Ruby?! Ruby, wait! Desist!"

What just happened? Why did Ruby scurry away in such a fashion? Are there distressing thoughts in her head? She had such a forlorn and hollowing look in her eyes all throughout our intense skirmish against the Grimm.

Speaking of, what happened to our soulless adversaries? What were those golden shockwaves, and how did they devastate all the Grimm in such a phenomenal fashion? I cannot see a single one in the general vicinity. Perhaps for now, I should locate Ruby. Where could she have gone? She's always been too fast for me to keep pace with. I must begin my pursuit.

Wait, what in Oum's name is that?! Is that… Salem? And is she fighting…? What is that creature? It looks like a… colossal golden crow. Like the old fairy tale. Curious. No matter, I will allow that creature to defeat Salem. For now, I must resume my search for my bewitchingly beautiful girlfriend and discover the source of her discontent.

* _several minutes later_ *

"Ruby! Where are you?!"

Why is it my search has yet to bear any fruit? Where could she be?! Where are you, my dearest rose?! Wait, there's Yang and her husband. Perhaps they have some feasible information on Ruby's location.

"… no girl is gonna get near _my_ boy unless she proves she has what it takes to go up against me!"

" _Groan._ "

No doubt speaking of their child. At least that's a sign of good parenting, being protective of their child. I hope one day, Ruby and I may hold similar conversations in such a manner. But first, I must locate her.

"Pardon me Yang, Povelitel, but have either of you seen Ruby as of late?"

"Ruby? I thought she was with you."

"She ran off as soon as all the Grimm were eradicated by those perplexing golden shockwaves. She seemed somewhat distraught. I've never seen her with such a look of despondency on her face."

"Uh oh! This is not good! My baby sister is out there, sad, scared, all alone! We gotta find her!"

Where could she be? Where could she be?!

"Look you two, calm down. We'll find her. But panicking like that won't help. Let's just keep cool and… Hey, do you see that?"

"See what? I don't see anything, Pov."

"Up there, on top of that building. See that little bit of red?"

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

'Weak', 'stupid', 'worthless'. Those are the words she said to me. Am I… Am I really worthless? My own mother… she tried to destroy Remnant. Was I really meant to be like her? Am I evil too? If not, am I really weak and worthless? Who am I? What am I?! Am I nothing? I feel like nothing. Maybe I am nothing. Just a failed experiment, if I won't do what she said I was born to do. I am nothing. I have no purpose.

"Ruby? Is that you? Thank Oum you're alright. I've been… Wait, have you been crying? Do you feel ill? Whatever is the matter?"

"Leave me alone, Petey."

"I'm afraid I cannot comply with that request, Ruby. Not after we've been spending the last several minutes looking for you."

"'We'?"

"Yes. Your family and friends have all gathered and wish to speak with you."

"Ruby! There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you."

"G-go away."

"You dunce! Do you really expect us to leave you after we just found you?!"

Same old Weiss.

"What's wrong, Ruby? You can tell us."

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! What's wrong is that my whole life was a lie! I've been lied to my whole life! I'm not who I thought I was! That's what's wrong, Yang!"

Why? Why did this have to happen to me?

"What nonsense are you blathering on about, Ruby? Your life a lie? I fail to comprehend your accusations."

Was Petey here when Salem said…? I don't think so. He's going to hate me for the rest of my life once I tell him! He'll never love me again. No one will ever love me again.

I'm going to die alone. Might as well prepare for that alone.

"Th-that woman, Salem."

"Ah yes, the horrid demon that has wrought death and destruction upon Remnant for so many years. What about her?"

"She's… she's my mother."

"I beg your pardon?! How is that…? That makes no sense! You informed me that your mother died when you were but a mere toddler, that she was a Huntress."

"That's what I thought, but I was wrong. She's the one who destroyed Remnant. She told me that I was born simply to take her place, that it's what I was meant to do. That it was my purpose in life. When I said no, she called me worthless! Weak! I'm nothing more than a failed experiment! I don't think I was ever meant to exist! I'm a child of evil! * _sob_ * * _cry_ *"

I'm never going to be happy again. I don't deserve happiness, considering what I am.

"Ruby, listen to me! LISTEN TO ME NOW!"

"D-dad?"

"You are not evil! You are nothing like her. You never will be. You're my daughter. And a dedicated Huntress. Not a 'failed experiment', not 'weak', and certainly not 'evil'! I know you're not. Plus, I'll admit, I always kind of thought that Summer was sort of… off. I never would have guessed evil, but off. I don't get that from you."

D-does he really think that? But what about the others? What about me? I still don't…

"Ruby, you're our friend, our teammate, my sister. We all still love you despite what we heard. Besides, you've always been a bad actress. If you wanted to destroy the world but didn't want anyone to know, we'd have found out."

Not really helping, Yang. But still, maybe she's onto something.

"Ruby, you dunce! It doesn't make for a good team leader to be doubting herself over something as small as this! You should be strong, like you usually are. I don't want to see this sad Ruby, understand!?"

Weiss, you'll never change. But still, maybe I'm not what I think, if they still believe in me.

"I know I've had trust issues in the past, but I think the others are right. You're not like her just because you're related. I can feel that you're a better person than that."

If Blake, the one person who could almost never trust anyone other than herself, is telling me the same thing as everyone else, maybe I should listen. No need for them to keep pounding the same lesson in my head.

"You're right guys. I'm not like her. I'm going to try to live my life as my own person. I shouldn't let what Salem said get to me."

"That's the spirit! We all care about you, Ruby Rose."

"No. 'Ruby Rose' is no more. I don't want the last name of the person who tried to kill me, my friends, and everyone on Remnant. The more distance between me and her, the better. It's time to start with a new identity."

"Well, what are you going to call yourself, then?"

"Call me… um…."

What should I go by? Maybe just a different last name? Sounds easy enough. Why not?

"Maybe I'll just take your name, dad. 'Ruby Xiao Long'. Ohh, I like that! Sounds really awesome, doesn't it?"

"No."

Yeesh, did everyone have to say it like that? What's wrong with Ruby Xiao Long?

Ugh, now that I say it in my head, it does sound kinda stupid. But what else should I go by? Maybe…

"Ruby?"

Huh? Oh, it's Petey. He's been a little quiet for a while. What is he thinking? Is he thinking about me? What did I do?

Oh no. please don't tell me he won't want to be my friend anymore because of what happened.

"Y-yeah?"

"Might I converse with you elsewhere, in solitude?"

"Uh, sure."

* * *

* _elsewhere_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"Why did you want to talk to me alone, Petey?"

"There are some matters I simply wished to discuss with you privately."

"OK, like what?"

Well, here it goes.

"I merely wanted to say one thing to you in private. One thing and one thing only. And that is, I love you. No matter your parentage, your life, or the so called 'purpose' you were born for, I still have as much love and adoration for you as I did the day I first uttered the phrase."

"Thank you, Petey. I love you too. But still, how can you still love me even after everything I just told you?"

"Nothing could convince me not to love you at this point. The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines your future. You have dedicated your life to protecting the weak and underprivileged. As have I. You never once tried to do what was intended of you by Salem. She made a great tactical flaw in assuming that you would be so easily corrupted into doing her dark bidding since she did not raise you. And I am ever so thankful for that. You have such an unstated strength to you. A kindness and warmth that naturally dispels all negativity, even that which lies in your heart. That is what drew me to your side."

"Thanks, Petey. I'm so happy you could stay with me after everything."

"Of course, my dearest. I would never even contemplate leaving your side after everything we have endured together. In fact, that reminds me. There is a question I've been meaning to ask you for some time now."

"Really? What's that?"

Well, this is it. Please, O great Monty Oum, let nothing interrupt me this time.

"Ruby, you've stated multiple times how much you love me. How you admire me for my intellect, my generosity toward you and others, and that I'm not so bad looking either, heh. And I have stated how I love you for your innocence, your remarkable skill in both leadership and combat, and your mere presence is a breathtaking sight. We've had this mutual adoration for each other for a great many years now. And I believe that now, more than ever, since the new Great War has finally ended, it is time we move forward. So, I ask you…"

Please no interruptions, PLEASE!

"… Ruby Ros… err, Xiao Long,"

'Ruby Xiao Long' simply does not have the same ring to it as 'Ruby Rose'. No matter, both names shall be irrelevant very soon.

"…would you marry me?"

"Wh-WHAT?! Oh my…! Well I… see… I love you, but… well, I…I…"

Please say yes, please say yes!

"I…I…"

* * *

* _sometime later_ *

"I do."

"And do you, Petey Lucenay, take this woman to be your wife? For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health, 'til death do you part?"

"Indeed, I do."

"Then, by the power granted to me by the great lord, Monty Oum, I hereby pronounce this couple to be husband and wife. Congratulations. You may now kiss your bride."

* _Petey and Ruby kiss_ *

At long last, it has happened! I have finally found a bride within my dearest Ruby! She's all mine now, and let no one ever tear asunder in our lives together.

"That was wonderful, my beloved _wife_."

"Heehee. It sure was, _husband_."

Husband. It is a title that I shall have to get accustomed to, and I hope I am able to amass to Ruby's expectations of me with that prestigious title.

"Well, Petey? Was today a surprising day or what?"

"On the contrary, all the insanity we've had to endure leading up to this marvelous day makes the ceremony seem all the more normal by comparison."

"Well, I guess that kind of makes sense. I could go without a few surprises for a while."

"At this point, I don't believe anything could surprise me."

* * *

 **Longest. Chapter. EVER!**

 **As stated, I started writing this chapter right after posting my last one, and only now, 4 months later, am I done. I'm very sorry it took so long, but I have a good explanation. Very shortly after I posted my last chapter, I started taking classes again after taking a few semesters off. It's time I began finishing my college education. Long story short, going to classes, doing homework, and studying really cut down on my free time. Plus, my job certainly wasn't doing me any favors. I hope I can find a new one before the end of summer.**

 **Another reason this took so long is that extensive fight scenes are difficult for me to write. And this chapter had a great deal of fight scenes. But, luckily for you, (and me, as the writer) I don't plan on having any fight scenes in the next two chapters. I'm going to let things cool down for the characters a bit after everything they went through in this chapter. I hope that I'll have the next chapter out for you soon. I want to try and have this story done by the end of May.**

 **Anyway, thank you for being patient with me on this chapter, I appreciate it. I really hope you liked it. If you did, let me know in the form of a follow, favorite, or a review. If not, well, too bad. Just don't say anything overly negative, please.**

 **Well, the next chapter should be posted relatively soon, (at least compared to the time it took me to get this one out) so until such time, sayonara, everyone.**

 **(P.S: For those who are wondering what it was that defeated all the Grimm Ruby and Petey were fighting, it's all explained in my other story. Take a look if you feel like it.)**


	16. Puppies

**Hello, hello, everyone! I have returned once again to continue this grand story.**

 **After how long it took me to get the last chapter out because of all the fight scenes I had to write, I'm going to not really have any fight scenes this chapter to see if I can get it out faster than before. That said, this will be a calmly paced chapter and my attempt at writing something more lighthearted, something I haven't really done in a while. I wanted to try my hand at something kind of fluffish. That's how this chapter came to be.**

 **With that said, let's-a-go!**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _approximately 11 months after being married_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* * *

"Well, this is certainly a surprise."

Can she really be…? Is it truly possible that…? I cannot comprehend this right now. I'm at an unmitigated loss for the necessary words to form coherent thought.

"It's true, Petey."

"I… I cannot believe this. Are you certain, Ruby?"

"Yes. I am. So… how do you feel?"

"I am in a state of disbelief. I was indisputably unprepared for this news."

How is it possible that she's already…? I thought it would be some time before this event would occur.

"Oh, are you saying you don't want to be a…"

"NO! No, not at all. From the moment I elected to take you on as my bride, I fantasized about this exact scenario. It's just that… It's merely… now that it has happened, I am unsure of how to react. I was not expecting this to occur until much later. We have not even been married for a year yet."

"Well, I guess that makes sense, but even so, I, personally can't wait! I wonder what will happen. Will we be good? Oh, I hope we're good at it. I'm sure we'll do fine. This will probably be easy. I wonder how the others will react. I think…"

It puts me at ease to see her act in her innocent manner, although it might be better saved for a subject matter that is not quite so serious in nature. Wait, what was it she just said? Reactions?

Oh no. Suddenly I fear for my personal health and safety. Once Ruby's father and sister become aware of her condition, they are sure to react… Actually, I am unsure how they will react, but I know it will end unfavorably for me.

"Petey? Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, worry not, Ruby. I'm alright. However, I am slightly frightened of how your father and sister, particularly your sister, will react upon hearing of your present condition."

"Yang? Why would she do anything to you because of me? You didn't do anything wrong. At least I don't think so. Besides, it's not like I'm dying or anything."

"I very much appreciate your altruistic words, my dearest, but I am doubtful that your sister will hold similar views as you do. Do you recall what she nearly did to me last month when she thought I shoved you to the floor when you merely tripped over your cloak?"

"Oh yeah. It took me forever to convince her that it wasn't your fault."

"Indeed, and what we are presently dealing with is much more serious than a mere clumsy fall."

How do we tell them of this development in a fashion that will not end with threats upon my life? Perhaps if I were to vanish until afterwards. No, I could never abandon my beloved wife like that. Plus, it would reflect poorly on me and only give Yang legitimate reason to despise me. But still, how to go about this? Hmm…

"Well, I guess I should tell my team about this sooner rather than later. I'll tell them when I meet up with them tomorrow."

Wait, _what?!_

"Y-you're just going to flat out tell them?!"

"Well, yeah. What other way is there?"

"Perhaps just try and ease them into it. Tell them slowly."

"Awwww, but I hate slowly!"

"I know."

She always has. Still, I must think of another way. One there the news won't be quite as staggering once revealed.

"What should I do then?"

"I confess, I have no immediate ideas. But I'm sure something will come to mind."

"Well, good luck thinking of something before the mission."

Mission? Oh yes, now I recall. Team RWBY has been hired to take out some Grimm in the downtown area. Hold on, mission?!

"Ruby, I don't think you should be going out slaughtering Grimm in lieu of today's startling discovery. I have an uneasy feeling it will have detrimental effects on your health."

"Don't worry, I'm smarter than that. I've seen before that it's a bad idea. I'm not going anywhere for a while."

I'm so glad she's thought ahead on this matter. Her foresight astounds me sometimes. Wait, what did she just say? Note to self: Ask Ruby what she meant by 'I've seen before that it's a bad idea' at a later date.

* * *

* _the next day, outside Yang's house_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Well, here we are, Petey. Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. I still believe that the direct path is not the wisest one in this scenario."

"Well, too bad. You didn't think of something else in time, so we do this my way."

"We could still try my earlier suggestion of slowly easing them into it."

"Nah. Sounds boring. Oh look, there are the others."

Well, here it goes. Why do I suddenly feel nervous?

"Hey guys!"

"There you are, Ruby. We've been waiting for you. Are you ready to go… Wait, where's your weapon?"

"And where are your combat clothes, for that matter? You can't go out looking so… so… casual."

"Uh, yeah, about that… Petey and I have something we wanna tell you guys. First off, I don't think I'll be coming with you guys today."

"WHAT?!"

Should've seen that one coming.

"Are you serious, Ruby? You're the one who volunteered us for this job! You're the one who got overly excited and wouldn't shup up about this. 'Oh boy! Team RWBY's first mission together in years! I can't wait!'. That's what you kept saying."

Why does Weiss still have to be like that?

"You can't just back out on us, Ruby. We need our team leader. I'm sure whatever problems you have, we can overlook it for a while."

"Actually, Blake I don't think I can. You see…"

"What gives, Ruby? Why would you just drop us like this?"

"Look, I'm sorry, OK?! It's just… after our last mission together, after what almost happened to Yang, I kinda figured it was a bad idea to go on a mission while you're pregnant, no matter how far in you are."

"Yeah, but there was a good explanation for that, I was…"

Uh oh. Yang's red eyes. Not a good sign. Maybe I should have listened to Petey about the whole 'slow' thing.

"Ruby, say that last part again."

Can I try this again? Let's see…

"Um… 'No matter how far in you are'?"

"No, no. Before that."

"'It's a bad idea to go on a mission'?"

" _After._ "

"'While you're'?"

" **RUBY!** "

* _Sigh_ * No use trying to hide it anymore.

"'Pregnant'. Yes, I found out just yesterday that I'm pregnant. That's why I won't go with you guys. I don't want to put my baby in danger."

"M-my baby sister is… She's going to have a… LUCENAY! You're a dead man!"

"P-please, Yang! I was merely…!"

"Yang, stop it! He didn't do anything wrong! Besides, he's my husband now! I think he's allowed to do things like this with me now."

"Ub bub bub bub. I do _not_ need the details, Ruby! Now if you'll excuse me…"

No! what do I do?! I can't let my baby grow up without a daddy. Wait, maybe Weiss and Blake can help.

"Weiss, Blake! Stop Yang!"

"I'm gonna kill you for knocking up my sweet little sister! Prepare for…! HEY! Let go of me, Weiss! Get your arms off me, Blake!"

Yikes, I guess Petey was right about Yang overreacting. Maybe I should listen to him more often.

"Yang, stop it! You should be happy for your sister! Not trying to kill her husband! Ruby's right, it's not really his fault. Besides, at least she's more responsible than you when it comes to going out killing Grimm while pregnant."

"Shut it, Ice Queen! I just can't believe this happened to my sweet little sister!"

"That's another thing. She's not really 'little' anymore. She's 25 years old now. She's matured a lot since we first met. Besides, weren't you and Povelitel younger than that when you had your kid?"

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING, BLAKE!"

Great, she's still angry. Is there ANYONE who can calm her down?

"Hey there, heard my name. What's going on? I thought you girls would be gone by now, not doing… whatever it is you're doing now."

Oh, thank Oum. Maybe he can help.

"Povelitel! Maybe you can help me."

"Eh, sure, I'll try. What's up?"

I wonder how he'll react when I say that I'm pregnant.

"Well, uh, I just found out yesterday that I'm pregnant."

"Really? Hmm, well then, congrats. But what does that have to do with me?"

"I need you to calm Yang down. She didn't take it as well as you did."

"That it? No worries, I got this."

I wonder how he's going to get Yang to be calm. Her temper is legendary.

"Yang, you need to chill. So your sister's pregnant. So what?"

"SO WHAT?! What do you mean 'So what?'?"

Not the approach I was expecting.

"She's grown up now. You knew she couldn't stay your tiny little sister forever. Just let go of that, 'kay? Let her be an adult. If you wanna hold on to something cute, our son's in the living room."

"B-but, I just… I just… I was just…"

"Being overprotective. That's what you were doing. It's fine when you're little, but acting like that as full grown adults, it's kinda creepy. You were the one who always said that Ruby needed to grow up, and now that she is, you're gonna treat her like a little girl? You confuse me so much sometimes, Yang. Besides, if all the bitching you did during your pregnancy is anything to go off of, Ruby and Petey are in for a wild ride. They don't need you stressing them out. So, for the last time, chill."

Wait, what?

"Well, I… I… * _sigh_ * I guess you're right. I need to let her grow up. Sorry, Rubes. And, I guess I'm sorry to you too, Petey."

"I… reluctantly accept your apology, Yang."

Phew. I'm glad Petey and Yang worked things out. Now, I was gonna ask Yang something. What was it? Uhhhh… Oh yeah!

"Yang, what did he mean by 'wild ride'? What is being pregnant like?"

"Sweet Monty Oum, Ruby. You have no idea what you're in for. There is nothing harder than being a pregnant woman."

"That is, except for being the husband of a pregnant woman, and having to deal with your wife's crazy as hell antics for nine months straight."

"Is this indeed true, Povelitel? What sort of 'antics' as you so bluntly described it, might I expect to endure for the duration of Ruby's pregnancy?"

"Petey, my friend, come with me. Have I got a long story to tell ya."

* * *

* _one explanation later_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"Long story short, be thankful that Ruby and Yang don't share a semblance. It saves you from a lot of undue pain."

"That's… quite a lot to take in. Mood swings, strange and unnatural food cravings, an excess amount of vomiting. I still cannot fathom how Yang managed to break your arm during delivery."

"Yup, her semblance is weird like that. She snapped it like a twig."

"I heard that Pov! And I said I was sorry!"

"Pfft. Yeah, like a month later."

This is going to be more arduous than I had initially presupposed. I sincerely hope I am able to bear the weight of it all. Well, I know for a fact that holding my offspring for the first time shall make it all worthwhile.

"That's all well and good, but what about our mission? We're supposed to leave in 15 minutes."

Huh? Oh, I had almost completely forgotten the presence of Weiss and Blake. What are they going to do since Ruby is unable to accompany them?

"Oh, yeah. Well, I can't come with you guys, but… uh…Oh! Maybe Povelitel can go with you guys in my place."

I admire her ability to come up with solutions in such a brief stretch of time.

"Yeah, sure, I'll go along with them, as long as you two don't mind staying here and watching our son, Kogane."

Wait, since when were we hired as babysitters?

"I mean, we can't just leave him home alone."

Well, there is logic in that. It would be very unwise to leave a small child by their lonesome. I must remember that for when my child arrives.

"Alright. I don't mind looking after my sweet little nephew. Plus, this will be good practice for when my baby arrives."

"That's the spirit, Ruby! Well, see you guys later."

Time for a very enthralling learning experience.

* * *

* _a couple months later, a park in Vale_ *

Ah, this is precisely what I required. Just a miniscule break from all that has occurred. Ruby's only two months into her pregnancy, and already I feel overwhelmed in my attempts to put up with it all. How Povelitel managed to tolerate it all, especially since he is with the more volatile of the two sisters, is completely beyond me. If nothing else, I commend his strength.

Hold up, is that Rouge? Ah, it has been far too long since he and I have interacted with each other. Perhaps this would be an ideal opportunity to reacquaint myself with my former teammate. We have not really spoken since the day I married Ruby.

"Pardon me, Rouge?"

"Hmm? Oh, hey Petey. How are you?"

"I'm quite well. And yourself?"

"Fine. Just a little tired."

"Oh? What seems to be ailing you, my friend?"

"I've been pulling a bunch of extra hunting jobs to try and keep up the rent on my apartment. I swear, they raised their rates on purpose just to try and keep people out."

I highly doubt that that's true, but it is believable that they charge ludicrous amounts on their rent since everyone needs a place to live and not too many living areas have been restored yet. That's a fast, albeit dishonorable, way to make a great deal of money. I'm so fortunate to be living in one of the first houses that has been rebuilt since the end of the new Great War. How fortuitous that we managed to claim one of the first ones that was completely rebuilt following the war.

"So you simply needed some time away from all the stress in your life. Is that right? I can relate. That is the very reason I am here now, Rouge."

"Really? So what's your problem?"

"My dearest Ruby is pregnant, and attempting to keep up with the lunacy that is a pregnant woman is very wearisome. And I still have seven months left of it until the child is born."

"Really? Well, congratulations. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"No, Ruby and I both wish to be surprised on the gender. Although personally, I desire for our child to come out being closer to Ruby in appearance. Not to say I will not love the child either way, but I simply think it will be much more adorable if it looks closer to her."

"Wait, you mean human? I thought that when a human and Faunus had a kid, that kid was always a Faunus. Isn't that what they taught in Biology back at Beacon?"

Is it? I thought that we were taught… Oh wait, what he really said was…

"I remember that lecture. But what Professor Puleun really said was 'If a human and a Faunus breed, their child is typically a Faunus of the same kind as the Faunus parent'. The keyword in that sentence is 'typically'. There is still a small chance it shall become a human."

"Yeah, I guess so. Still, I doubt it, man."

"You seem to have a similar thought track as Ruby. She too, is convinced our child shall inherit my Faunus features. She seems to believe the child will be much more captivating if its appearance more closely resembles my own. But again, we're certain the baby will be adorable either way. I just wish Ruby wan not so difficult to handle during the time leading up to childbirth."

"Yeah, that sounds rough. Anyway, I have to go now. See you later, Petey, and congrats on your kid again."

Just what will my child look like upon birth? Should I be accounting for all possibilities? So many things to consider.

* * *

* _sometime later_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

But what if…? Will the baby really be like…? I don't want it to be like… But what if I…?

"Ruby? Where are you?"

"I'm in here, Petey."

"I was wondering if you knew the location of… Ruby, are you alright? You look quite downtrodden. Are you in the midst of another mood swing? Please say no."

"No, it's not that, it's just… I… I-I'm scared."

"Ah yes. You've brought this up multiple times. I assure you, the baby will be just fine. We saw a doctor just last week, and he said that everyone is healthy."

"No, it's not that. It's just… well… I'm scared for myself."

"Oh, what does that mean? Care to elaborate?"

"It's just… for so long, I thought that my own mother died when I was just a little girl."

"Well, I'm not sure what that has to do with our child, but I'm sure I need not remind you that your mother was actually…"

"Yes! I know! I know."

I don't need those bad memories. I just can't deal with more stress.

"What I mean is… What if what I thought happened to me turns into a reality for our baby? What if I somehow die before the baby gets a chance to know me? I don't want to just leave you and our baby by yourselves. And going back to what you were saying, what if it turns out like my mother, like Salem? They'll have her cursed blood in them just like I do. What if there is something evil in my blood and it wakes up inside our baby? I couldn't bear it if my baby turned out to be evil. Is there anything I can do to stop it?"

What can I do? Is there anything I can do? Please, someone, help me!

"Quite a list of concerns you have there. But worry not, I shall lay all of them to rest for you, my beloved."

What exactly can Petey do? Should I trust him? What reason do I have not to? He's my husband after all. I trust him with my life.

"You are among the strongest individuals on all of Remnant. I scarcely believe that you will ever succumb to any known force anytime soon. You are so much stronger than even me in so many ways, your heart being one of them. When you have something to fight for, you never give up on it. You never have. The amount of times you have saved my life is immeasurable. Even against overwhelming odds, you pulled through with no serious faults in your tactics or fighting style. Once this child is upon us, you will only have something extra to fight for, something to protect and come home to. Your mother had nothing to fight for but herself. That is why she fell so easily. If she truly loved you, as I do, as our child will, she would still be with us. Speaking of, I firmly doubt our child will have any semblance of Salem's wickedness within him or her. I don't believe there is such a thing as cursed blood. It is all a factor of their surroundings while they grow and learn. During your adolescence, you were constantly surrounded by loving family and upstanding, exemplary role models and influences. And with both of us to raise it, our child shall be surrounded by similar influences. I feel not a trace of badness in your body. If it were a matter of blood, I'd be concerned about myself as well as you."

"Oh really?"

"Indeed. I've told you about my cousin and the numerous atrocities he has committed whilst with the White Fang. His actions horrify me even to this day. He learned them from his own mother, my mother's sister. And yet, our grandmother was a kind and gentle woman. So I don't worry about the future of our child based solely on lineage. With someone like us around, our child will be smothered with love and affection for years to come. And neither one of us is going to leave our child prematurely. I know it."

He always knows just what to say to make me feel better. That's why I love him so much. I could just sit in his arms and feel better in no time. As a matter of fact…

"Thanks, Petey. I feel better already. Do you mind if we just sit like this for a while? It feels good."

"Not at all Ruby. Relieve yourself of all your stress whilst in my arms. I'm here for as long as you require me to be."

"Thanks. I love you so much, Petey."

"I love you too, Ruby. Now and forever. Now and forever, my love."

Now and forever. That's a long time. And that's just how I like it.

* * *

* _some months later_ *

Wow, who knew we were gonna need so many supplies for just one little baby? Why am I even doing this now? I'm not supposed to give birth for a couple months from now. Oh well, it's like Petey said, it's better to be prepared. Now, which way to the store again? I think I should take a left on…

"Ruby? Is that you?"

Wait, that voice, could it be…?

"Penny? Is that you?"

"Salutations, my friend! What brings you out on this lovely day?"

"Well, I just had to go and grab a few things from the store. What about you? What are you doing here?"

"I have been sent out to try and push back the Grimm occupying the downtown area of Vale. There is still much work to be done in reclaiming this entire city from those creatures."

Well, she's not wrong there. It feels like only a little bit of the city is actually Grimm free right now. I hope that by the time my baby grows up, Vale will be a peaceful place once again.

Wait, why is Penny looking at me like that? What's with the funny looks? Is there something on my face? Did I get another nasty stain on my cloak again?

"Ruby, are you… feeling alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, I feel fine. Why?"

"Are you certain? Your abdomen appears to be unusually swollen."

Oh. That. How do you explain something like this to a robot? Do robots even understand pregnancy? Let's see.

"Um, Penny? Do you know what it means to be pregnant?"

"Pregnant: Adjective: (of a woman or female animal) Having a child or young developing in the uterus."

Wow, so she does know. Does she just have a dictionary downloaded into her robo-brain?

"Wait, does that mean…?"

"Yep. That's right, Penny. I'm gonna be a mom soon."

"Oh! Congratulations, Ruby! I'm very happy for you right now! When is your child due?"

"In about two months. I can't wait for you to meet him or her. I'm sure they'll love you. They're going to just love their Aunt Penny."

"'Aunt Penny?' I do not understand, Ruby. I am not your sister. Nor am I Petey's sister."

"No, not like that, I mean… What I mean is… uhh…"

Um… How do I explain this? Maybe use Uncle Qrow as an example? No, he's still Yang's uncle by blood. Might be a bit hard to explain. Why not use… Eh, why not. I'll use him.

"When I was a little girl, my dad was close friends with a guy named Vert. He used to come over and hang out with dad, like, all the time. He was also really nice to me and Yang. He would play with us when dad was busy and give us nice gifts on out birthdays and such. We always called him 'Uncle Vert' as kids because he and dad were almost like brothers."

"So by being a close friend of a child's parent, one could be seen as an honorary aunt or uncle to that child?"

"That sounds about right, yeah."

"In that case, yes! Your child may indeed refer to me as 'Aunt Penny'. I am quite honored, Ruby. Thank you."

"Oh no problem, Penny. Anyway, I have to get shopping. Apparently, babies need a lot of supplies in order to be taken care of."

"Alright. But do contact me after your child is born. I would very much like to meet them."

"Alright, I will. See you later, Penny."

"Goodbye, friend!"

Aunt Penny. I just hope she can live up to that. I hope she'll learn how to act around kids. If what Yang said is true, it's gonna be really hard.

* * *

* _two months later_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Ah, what a pleasant spring day. Monty Oum himself could not choose a more flawless day to take a pleasant stroll through the wonders Vale Central Park.

Or, rather, it would be flawless, if I did not sense inevitable grouching from Ruby.

"Ugh, are we almost done? I'm tired."

There it is.

"Ruby, we've not even been out for five minutes. How are you already exhausted?"

"Yeah, well you try carrying a baby around in your stomach, why don't ya? Honestly, it's like having a cannonball chained to my waist."

"I sincerely doubt the weight of an infant can be compared to that of a cannonball. Now come on, a little exercise will do you well. What have you to lose in some simple walking?"

"Ugh, fine. But don't expect me not to complain the whole way. I still feel tired and like I've got a rock in my gut."

Why? Why did I have to be a Dog Faunus? Why couldn't I have at least inherited a tail, rather than ears? This is one of those of the rare instances that I curse the fact that I have two sets of ears. I am only able to cover one set while the other still must endure Ruby's incessive whining. I sincerely hope that our child comes upon this world soon.

Still, perhaps it was deficient thinking on my part, bringing Ruby out here. Our child is due very soon, and it is unwise to make my dear wife uncomfortable in this time. Marvelous, now I feel bad for having brought Ruby out here against her objections when I should be taking care of her until such time as our child is born.

"Ruby, I apologize for putting you in this position. I should not have caused you discomfort when you are so close to your delivery date."

"Well… It's alright, Petey. You weren't trying to do anything bad. I just wasn't feeling very good today. I'm sorry for being such a pain. I promise that after our baby is born, we can go on all the fun little walks you want. I really do enjoy being out here with you. And once we're a family, it's going to be even more fun."

"Thank you, Ruby. I too, treasure our time together. And I too, believe that once we have been blessed with our child, our lives shall only get better. I very much love you, my adorable wife."

"I love you too, Petey. I lo… lov… Gah!"

"Ruby? What is it? What's wrong?!"

"I think… I think it's time for me…. AH! To give birth!"

WHAT?! NOW?! Oh no! Oh nonononononononono! This is not good! Not good at all! What do I do? What do I do?!

Hold. Just calm down, Lucenay. Panicking and fretting will not help this situation at all. You've prepared for this. The most logical course of action would be to escort Ruby to a hospital. But how? We're in the middle of Vale, but I fear our car does not have sufficient fuel to make sure we reach our destination. The only thing I can presently think of is…

"Ruby, come over here."

"Wh-what is it, Petey?"

"I'm going to escort you to a hospital by using my semblance to get us across town."

"What?! Please no! I don't really feel like jumping to a hospital!"

"Too late!"

* _Petey jumps with his semblance_ *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

My goodness, Ruby has gotten much heavier since she became with child. Not like I was ever a pillar of physical strength. No matter, I cannot afford to think on such matters right now. I must focus on the task at hand. Now, get ready and…

* _jump_ *

"Fret not, Ruby, we are almost at our destination. Approximately two more should do it."

"I can't take it! Petey, no!"

"Petey, yes!"

* _jump_ *

"This isn't making me feel better, Petey!"

"Calm yourself. Only one more."

Now, get ready and…

"What are you doing?!"

Well, isn't this opportune. Perhaps she can inform the others.

"Greetings, Weiss. So sorry, but I cannot converse right now. Ruby has gone into labor, and I must whisk her to a hospital immediately. Do be so kind as to tell the rest of Ruby's family and friends to rendezvous with us at said hospital, would you? Thank you. Goodbye."

"No, Wait!"

* _jump_ *

I do not have time to wait. I must get Ruby to capable hands as soon as possible.

"Alright, we have arrived."

"You know I hate it… AH!... When you do that, Petey."

"You can express your displeasure with me later. For now, we must deliver this child."

* * *

* _inside the delivery room_ *

"Alright, we're almost there, Mrs. Lucenay. Just keep going."

What will the child look like? Will it be ok? Will Ruby be ok? The suspense is terrible. But I must calm down. I must calm Ruby down.

"Ruby, you're doing magnificently. Just a little while longer. I promise that you shall be fine. As will the baby."

"O-ok. I believe you."

How much longer must this endure. It pains me immensely to see Ruby in such pain. How much longer?!

"Here we go. Push!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* _baby cries_ *

Is that it? It's over? It is over. It's finally over. Thank Oum.

"It's a boy."

A boy. I am now the proud father of a son. Let's see, what does he look like? Why, he's… He's adorable! He seems to have received my Faunus ears. Ruby was right. He is the spitting image of cuteness with those dog ears. He has also received my eye color, it seems. Did he receive anything from Ruby? Well, it appears he has the tiniest tuft of her jet-black hair. He's precious.

"Congratulations, Ruby. You have done it. It's over now."

"N-no. Th-there's another. I think there's another."

Another? Another what? What could she possibly…? Wait, could it be…? Is it possible…?

Twins?

"Keep going, Mrs. Lucenay. We'll get that other baby out nice and healthy. Just keep calm."

I cannot comprehend this. Who would have thought? Twins. I cannot believe that all this time, there were two infants inside of Ruby. How could this have happened? I'm in a… I can't… I can no longer form coherent thought. What should I do? Do I say anything?

"Petey!"

"Huh? What? Oh! I'm here Ruby. Just keep calm. I promise that I shall not leave your side. Just stay calm. I promise you'll be alright."

"Alright, I'll try. For you."

"Very good, Ruby. Now, just keep breathing."

What will this second one look like? I wonder. No matter, I shall find out soon enough. For now, I must keep comforting Ruby.

* _several minutes later_ *

"Now, push!"

"GYHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* _baby cries_ *

Extraordinary. She managed to deliver twins near flawlessly. Now it's finally over. Our family is complete.

"This one's a girl."

Now a girl. I now have a son and a daughter. I must gaze upon her. What perplexing appearance does my daughter hold? She appears to have my hair and eye color. And my lung power, given how loudly she's wailing. She almost appears to be a female clone of me. But are there…? There does not appear to be any canine ears on her. Is this one human? I believe so. I guess I was right, Rouge. I did have a human child. Another marvelous gift to this family. I could not be happier.

"Marvelous job, my dearest Ruby. It's over now. Our family is complete."

"N-n-no. Still… another… one."

"She's right, there's one more."

What the…? I… I mean… Is it… How could… But… I didn't… I wasn't… I never thought… Are they…

 _TRIPLETS?!_

This is just getting ridiculous! Three children?! WHAT?!

"Are you certain, doctor?!"

"I am. I'm not sure why you're surprised, Mr. Lucenay. You Faunus have always had a tendency to have more children at once than humans."

Well, yes, I was aware of that, but…

"I didn't think that applied when we mated with humans!"

Great Monty Oum, what do I do?!

"Pe…tey."

I keep supporting Ruby. That is what I do.

"Yes, Ruby. I'm here. You must keep going. It's almost over."

"I ca… I can't do it."

"Yes you can! You must! For the sake of our last child, for the sake of the other two that have already been born, you must! Now please, just breathe, it will all be over soon."

"Do you… think I can?"

"I know you can, my dearest. Now, please, stay strong for me."

"A-alright. I'll t-try."

* _several MORE minutes later_ *

"YYYYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOUUUUUUUCH!"

* _more baby cries_ *

That's it. NOW it's over, at long last. No more shrieks of pain from Ruby. Her suffering has come to an end. Now, how does my youngest fare?

"This one's another girl."

Another girl, then. A son and two daughters. This is going to be quite a family. But I could not be prouder. Now then, let us take a look at this newest arrival. Ah! She has Ruby's lovely silver eyes. I knew such beauty could not go to waste. But wait, where did that tuft of red hair come from? Is it possible that it's…? I was under the impression that the red in Ruby's hair was merely a form of permanent hair dye. But I guess I was wrong. It's natural, and it is now the hair color of our youngest child. I also see a lack of canine ears in this one as well. She must be another human. Wait, what is that? Is there something behind her? What is that? It's… a tail! A dog's tail! This one's another Faunus. I must admit, I was not expecting a tail. But, she's still beautiful, nonetheless. I simply love the color of the fur on her tail. The same shade of red as her mother's hair, as her hair.

I am now the father of three perfect children. Ruby and I are now parents. It's so difficult to believe.

"Ruby, you did it, we are now parents. Isn't this wonderf… Ruby, Are you alright?! You do not look very well."

"A-are the babies safe? Are they… ok?"

"Yes, they are fine. But what of you?"

"I don't feel so great. I feel… like…"

"No! NO! Please, don't leave me! Stay strong Ruby! Please! Doctor, do something!"

"We're on it!"

Please, dear Monty Oum, no! I cannot bear the thought of my beloved leaving me. Why didn't I account for this? What will happen to the children? I cannot raise them alone. What if they're ill as well? What if they don't make it? I cannot bear that much loss! Pease, great Monty, don't leave me all alone on this planet. I'll do anything! Just don't leave me by myself! Please, no! PLEASE, NO, NO!

"Mr. Lucenay? Mr. Lucenay!"

"Wh-what is it?"

"The good news is: your wife is going to be fine. She just needs to be kept off her feet for a few days. Be thankful that she has as strong an aura as she does, otherwise she might not have made it. She nearly exhausted all of it during childbirth. Your children are all perfectly healthy as well. The bad news is: we'll have to keep them here overnight to ensure a successful recovery."

"I see. Thank you for the reassurance, doctor."

Thank Oum. Everything turned out satisfactory in the end. Now, there is just one more matter that needs to be resolved.

"Ruby? Can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah. Don't worry, I'll be alright. Are you alright?"

"Indeed I am, my beloved. I have never been more ebullient, actually. Now, I do have a query for you."

"Oh, what's that?"

"What names shall we bestow upon our children?"

"Oh. Good question. We do need to give them names. Well, which one came first?"

"The boy came first. Here, why don't you hold him? Nurse, may we?"

"Of course."

What a breathtakingly beautiful son we have. He deserves only the finest name. But what shall that fine name be?

"Hi there, little guy. I'm your mommy. Wow, you're so cute! What should we name you? Petey, since he's a boy, why don't you name him?"

Really? It falls to me to name him? What name will suit you, little one? Perhaps Thomas, in memory of my dear friend and former teammate. Hmmm, no. this child does not really… how do I put this? He does not 'look' like a Thomas to me. Perhaps as a middle name. But what about a first name? Let's see… What about…? Aha! I have it!

"His name shall be Koutavi Thomas Lucenay."

"Ok then. Where did you get that name?"

"There was once a man by the name of Koutavi Azure, who lived during the first Great War. He's actually quite famous amongst us Dog Faunus. He was said to have been a Dog Faunus himself and a close friend and confident to the Hero King of Vale. Legend has it that following the Great War, he was appointed the first Headmaster of Shade Academy by the Hero King himself. I thought it a fitting tribute to name our Dog Faunus child after him."

"Alright, Koutavi it is. Hi, Koutavi. Such a sweet boy. Who's next?"

"Next is the girl. The only one of the three to be human, by the way. I will bestow upon you, the honor of naming her."

"Aw! What a cute little girl! Cucci, cucci, coo! Oh, how about we name her Cucci? How does that sound?"

How do I say this without offending her? Let's see…

"I'm… not so certain about that, Ruby. It might seem adorable now, but will it remain as such when she enters adolescence, or adulthood?"

That sounded fair enough. I hope she doesn't take it the wrong way, though.

"I guess you're right there, Petey. What if we added something with a little 'oomph' or 'pizzazz'?"

Only Ruby could use such humorous words when describing how to name a child. Heh heh.

"How about… um… Cucciolo?"

Actually, that does sound rather… unique. I suppose I could live with that. Cucciolo. It has a bit of a charm to it actually.

"That sounds lovely, my dearest."

"Alright then. Cucciolo Crescent Lucenay."

"Drawing on your weapon for inspiration, are you?"

"Hey! I'm not that creative! Cut me a break! Anyways, isn't there one more?"

Indeed, there is. Now, what name shall we grant you, little one? Think, Lucenay, think!

"Another little girl, huh? How cute! Aw, mommy loves your little tail! What should we call you? Any ideas, Petey?"

"I'm still pondering the matter."

Why must this be such an arduous process? It's just thinking of a name, not eliminating a King Taijitu without a weapon. I wish my grandmother was here. She could solve nearly any problem on the spot. Wait a minute…

"How about we call her Stene?"

"Stene? Where did you come up with that?"

"That was my grandmother's name. And she too, had a tail very similar to this little one."

"Alright then, Stene it is. Stene Zwei Lucenay."

"What a fitting tribute to a great woman and a great dog, Ruby."

"Koutavi, Cucciolo, and Stene. What cute names for our cute little puppies."

"Puppies? May I ask where that came from, dare I ask?"

I sincerely hope I do not regret asking that question.

"Well, since you're a Dog Faunus, and these are just babies, I figured that they're like little Dog Faunus'. And little dogs are called puppies."

Is that how it is, then? Well, I suppose I can entertain her for a while.

"That does make some sense, I suppose. However, I believe you merely wish for an excuse to use an adorable word such as 'puppy'."

"* _sigh_ * You got me. I just thought it up, actually. But still, could you at least entertain me, even if for a while?"

"Of course. Anything for you, my beloved. Now, I can see only one course of action remaining. Would you like me to check and see if your family has arrived? I'm sure they would love to see you."

"Of course! I'd really life for them to meet our puppies."

That's not going away anytime soon.

* * *

* _in the waiting room_ *

Is Ruby's family here? I do not see them… Oh, there they are. I can only hope that they will remain calm upon our return to Ruby's room. I don't wish to alarm the children.

"Pardon me, Yang. But do you wish to…"

"Where is she?! Is Ruby alright?! Is the baby alright?! Is there anything wrong?! GIVE ME SOME ANSWERS, DAMMIT!"

Is it too much to ask for Yang to act somewhat normal at least once? I suppose so.

"Calm down, Yang. Give him a chance to answer. Well?"

At least I can count on Povelitel to be level headed in any given situation.

"I can assure you all that Ruby is alright. Both Ruby, and the children made it through the ordeal no worse for wear."

"Oh, thank Oum."

I'm surprised that Yang did not pick up that I said 'children' instead of 'child'.

"Wait a sec, 'children'? There's more than one?"

At least Povelitel is paying attention.

"Indeed, there is."

"Well, from one dad to another, I only got two things to say to ya, pal. One: congratulations. Two: good luck. Raising one kid was hard enough. I can't imagine having to do two at once."

"Oh no? Well then I would very much like to see you try your hand at three, Povelitel."

"Three kids?! Wow, man, wow."

"Th-three kids. My baby sister has… Ruby? Ruby!"

Not again. We cannot have Yang startle Ruby and the newborns.

"Yang! Calm down. Your sister's not going anywhere. Now please, don't rush. You'll only freak everyone out. No one needs that, alright?"

How Povelitel manages to tame Yang so quickly is beyond my comprehension. Nevertheless, I am grateful for his abilities.

"Shall we be going?"

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Wow, I can't believe that I'm finally a mom. I hope I can give my puppies all the love and caring that they deserve. Oh, here comes my friends and family to see my new family.

"Hi dad, hi Yang, hi Weiss, hi Blake."

"Hey Rubes. How are you?"

"Well, I've certainly felt better. But I'll make it."

"That's good. So are these your babies?"

"Yep. You wanna hold one?"

"Can I?"

"Sure. Just be careful."

"C'mon, when am I not careful?"

Really? Did Yang really just ask me that?

"Ok, y'know what? Don't answer that. But still, I'll be careful. I promise."

I certainly hope so. Well, I trust her.

"Here, take this one. His name is Koutavi."

"Hey there, Koutavi. Say hello to Auntie Yang. You're a cute little thing, aren't you? Yes you are."

She's going to be the best aunt ever. So are Weiss and Blake. Speaking of which…

"Weiss, Blake, come here. I want you guys to hold one too."

"If you insist."

"Thank you, Ruby."

I have the best friends ever. And now, I have the best family ever. Everything is perfect.

* * *

 **What's this? I actually got a chapter out less than a week after my last one? Stop the presses!**

 **The reason this came out so fast is because, well, if I'm being honest with myself, this is the first time since chapter one that I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do from start to finish. With the other chapters, I usually had a general idea of what I wanted to do, but I made a lot of it up on the spot. That, and no fight scenes for the first time since chapter 8.**

 **I'm sure you must be wondering how I came up with the names for Ruby and Petey's kids. Well, here it is. Koutavi, Cucciolo, and Stene all translate out to 'puppy' in three different languages. Greek, Italian, and Czech, respectively. Put them in Google Translate for an idea on how to pronounce them.**

 **As stated, I wanted to try a different style for once. Something different than the usual Grimm fighting and the like. I wanted to see if I could do something lighthearted in nature. Did I do well? Let me know in the form of a comment. A follow and favorite would also be appreciated. If you do leave a comment, don't make it negative. I can't stand that. Not at all.**

 **Not sure when the next chapter will be out, but until such time as it does, so long, everyone!**


	17. Family Life

**Greetings and welcome to the newest chapter of this illustrious work of fiction.**

 **I'm just going to say this now so you're not surprised later: This is a filler chapter. Nothing more than a collection of short drabbles centered around Petey, Ruby, and their family. The reason I do this is because I have some big plans for the next chapter, but didn't really want to rush into it too soon. Since I only just wrote Petey and Ruby's kids into existence, I wanted to spend a little time with them before doing anything else. So that's what I'm going to do.**

 **Well, I don't have anything else to say, so let's just get this over with.**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _one week after childbirth_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

* * *

I'm so BORED!

I've barely left this bed since I came home from the hospital. I get it, the doctor said I had to rest for a few days before I really did anything. Well, it's been a few days, and I haven't really done a thing! Why won't you let me do anything, Petey? I get that you're concerned, but this is ridiculous. I've barely even seem Koutavi, Cucciolo, or Stene since the day they were born. Is it so wrong that I want to be with my kids? They need their mother. And they're going to get her.

* _baby cries_ *

Starting now. I'm going to see my puppies IF IT KILLS ME!

"It appears as though one of our children is in need. I shall return shortly, Ruby."

"No. This time, I'm going to check on them. It's time I actually did something."

"I'm not so certain about that, Ruby. It's only been a week since you gave birth, you still need time to convalesce. I have no desire to put unnecessary strain on you."

"Petey, please. I feel like I've 'convalesced' enough, whatever that means. I don't like being treated like this, like I'm weak and helpless. I just want a chance to actually do something. I'm not going to get any better just lying around. Besides, I really want to see my little puppies. I've barely seen them at all since they were born. Please, let me do this. Let me take care of them, like a real mother should."

"…Very well, Ruby. I apologize for making you feel inadequate. I'll not hold you back any longer."

"Thanks, Petey. I'll be back in a bit. Love you."

"I love you too."

Now, off to help my babies. Alright, what seems to be the problem? Hmm, it seems like Koutavi needs something.

"What's wrong, little guy? Need a diaper change?"

No, I don't smell anything bad. That's not it.

"Maybe you're hungry."

No, that's not it, either. He just threw his bottle against the wall. What could it be? What am I missing?

* _crying continues_ *

"Don't worry, sweet boy. It's alright. I'll figure it out. Mommy will make it all better. Shhh, calm down, baby."

* _crying softens_ *

Huh. I guess he just needed some comfort. Maybe he just had a bad dream. Well, if there's one thing I can do, it's make people feel better.

"Feel better, Koutavi? Good. Hey, as long as you're up, why don't we play a little bit? Cucciolo, Stene, you guys can play, too. Come on, out of your crib, all of you. Now let's see, what should we play with? Oh, how about this ball?"

I hope it's bouncy. If it is, this is gonna be lots of fun. Ah, this is just what I needed, some quality time with my tiny little puppies. And I think they needed quality time with their mommy. Enough inner thoughts, LET'S PLAY!

"Now watch this. Ready, and, PEW! Look at it bounce! Boing, boing, boing!"

* _babies laugh_ *

That's what I like hearing. They're so cute when they laugh. They're so cute, period. Let's see if one of them can throw it.

"Here you go, Koutavi. Give it a nice, big throw, and watch it go boing."

Oh, it looks like he's about to throw! He's getting ready, and…!

"Boing, boing, boing! There it goes!"

* _more laughter_ *

"Alright, Cucciolo, your turn. Just give throw it really hard and it'll bounce all over the place."

Let's see where she throws it. Wait, why is she looking at me like that?

* **SMACK** *

"OW! That hurt! Cucciolo, no! Bad! You're not supposed to throw things at people's heads! It hurts! Please, be nice. Try again."

Why am I even saying this to her? It's not like she'll understand. Well, I can't really blame her, she doesn't know any better yet.

"Alright, this time, no hitting me in the face. Now, get ready and, throw it!"

Wow! She has a strong arm for a one week old. No wonder her throw hurt so much.

"That's better! Good throw, sweetie. Ok Stene, you're up next."

Whoever's listening, please don't have her hit me in the face with the ball. Wait, I think she's getting ready…

"Look at it go! Boing, boing, boing!"

* _even more laughter_ *

They're all so strong, for being so young. I like that. I hope that means they'll have good futures. Maybe they'll all decide to be Huntsmen and Huntresses. Then we can go on missions together! Super awesome mother-children Grimm killing, criminal stopping, awesomeness! It would be all kaboom, kapow, and slice, all the time! Nothing would ever stop us! We would always…! Wait, how did Stene get the ball again? It must have stopped near her. Hold on, is she…

"Stene, are you… are you offering it to me? Oh, that is so sweet! You're such a kind and considerate little girl! Here, let mommy give you a kiss! Mwah! And another kiss for both of my other puppies. Mwah! Mwah!"

They're already learning how to share. That's so precious! I've got the best kids in all of Remnant.

"I love you all so much. Never forget that. Your mommy loves you all so much."

* _happy babbling_ *

I hope they always stay like this. So cute, sweet, and adorable. What am I saying? Of course they will. Even when they're all grown up, they'll still be just as loveable as they are today. Hmm, they look like they're getting sleepy. I guess I did kinda interrupt nap time.

"Alright, time to go back to sleep. Back into your crib. First you, then you, now you."

I'm so glad Weiss bought us an extra-large crib. For just one baby, it would be ginormous. For three, they're all still comfortable. Saves us the pain of having to buy two more, just like we had to buy two more of pretty much everything else. Aww, they're so cute even when they're sleeping.

"Sweet dreams, my little puppies."

I really needed this. Some time alone with my puppies. Now that I'm out of that bed, I can start acting like the mom they deserve. I can't let Petey have all the fun. I want to take care of them too. Well, now I've got them for many years to come. Now then, I have a husband to relax with for a while until they wake up again.

* * *

* _a few months later_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

It is astonishing. My children are only a few months old, and already they are showing far greater levels of intellect than I expected from children their age. I have no doubt that they shall one day be among the greatest individuals to ever walk Remnant.

* _baby cries_ *

However, for now, they are still infants, and they must be cared for.

"Whatever is wrong, my beloved daughter?"

She seems so distraught over something. But what? I smell nothing putrid, and Ruby fed them all merely an hour ago, so what could possibly be the problem? Perhaps she simply requires affection and comfort. Perhaps I can soothe her.

"There now, calm down, my dearest Cucciolo. It's alright. Daddy's here."

Hmm, she seems to be calming down, but is not fully tranquil. What to do? Perhaps if I were to be at eye level with her, I might better asses what her problem is and how to solve it.

* _Petey gets on the floor_ *

"There, now. What's wrong, dearest? Perhaps I can…Hey! Let go of my shirt, please! You're going to pull me all the way to the…"

Well, I suppose it's too late for that. She has somehow managed to pull me to the floor. Impressive, although, I was caught off-guard. Wait, what are Koutavi and Stene doing? Are they climbing on my back? Why? What are they possibly…? Wait a minute…

"Oh, I see how it is. You all don't wish for me to leave, do you? You all concocted this little plan in hopes that I would spend some time with you, didn't you?"

Well then, I guess I was right in saying they are giftedly intelligent for their juvenile ages. They certainly managed to get the better of me this time.

"Well, it was a well concocted plan, I will grant you that. And I shall not deny you the prize you have sought after in performing this little endeavor. Very well then, prepare for quality time with your father."

First thing I should do is get Koutavi and Stene off of my back. Now then… what activity shall I partake in with my precious children?

"What would you like to do first? Perhaps play with this stuffed animal? 'Hello kids. Ready to have fun?'"

* _giggles_ *

Ah, it pleases me hearing them laugh like that. It fills me with such elation to see my children so jovial.

"'How about we go flying? Watch me go! Whoosh! Whoosh!'"

* _more laughter_ *

It appears that Ruby has been rubbing off on me. A few years ago, I never would have imagined myself acting in such a puerile manner. Activities such as this always seemed to suit her more than I. I never thought that I would actually… enjoy it, as I am now. But for my children, I would do anything. It's actually… quite fun to act silly every now and then. The children seem to be enjoying it, if nothing else.

You know, I always wondered why one of the toys in our possession was a stuffed Grimm. Are they not the most vicious creatures on the planet? Bent on the destruction of all of us? The terrible servants of my wife's horrid, albeit deceased, mother? Why are we turning them into toys, encouraging our children to play with them? Perhaps now is an ideal time to begin teaching my own spawn about how terrible they really are.

"'Oh, look there. It's a big, scary Grimm! I'm going to swoop down and destroy it! Zoom! Pow! Pow! Kaboom! Take that, wretched beast!' Here, why don't you three play with them for a while. Create your own adventures. I cannot wait to see what you do."

I could watch this adorable sight for hours on end without feeling the overwhelming sensation of boredom. Watching my children so happy brings me a sense of joy, the likes of which I have not felt since the day that Ruby officially became my bride. I see so much of her in Koutavi, Cucciolo, and Stene. I see so much of myself in them as well. What a perfect blend.

Hold on. What is Cucciolo doing? Ah! It appears Ruby was correct about their sharing skills. It seems she wishes for me to return to their land of make-believe. But what should I do now that the stuffed animal is back in my possession? Aha! I know!

"Now I'm going to get the little girl that's right in front of me! Grr! Ahh!'"

* _high pitched laughter_ *

Well, now I know that she responds positively to tickling. That's wonderful. It makes things more fun for me. Stene next.

"'You're next, girlie. Prepare for a merciless onslaught of tickles from Mr. Giraffe! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!'"

* _more laughing_ *

"'And now it's your turn, little boy! Raaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!'"

* _laughing_ *

Ah, music to my ears. All 4 of them.

"'And now, I, the nefarious Mr. Giraffe, shall attack all you meddling children at once! Rawr!'"

* _intense laughter_ *

They're all so adorable. I love them all and would give my life for them without question.

"I love you all so much, never forget that. Your father loves you all so much."

* _happy babbling_ *

Well, I suppose playtime has ceased. It is now time that I put them to bed. But I might require some assistance from my dearest wife.

"Hello, everyone! I'm home!"

Speak of the Grimm.

"Greetings my beloved. Might I request your assistance for a brief moment?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Would you be so kind as to assist me in putting the children down for their slumber?"

"No problem. Let's go."

What an astonishingly perfect family I have. How I adore each and every one of them. Once the children are asleep, I should let my wife know of such sentiments. She positively loves it when I praise her in such fashions.

* * *

* _some time later, in the city of Vale_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Whew. Finally made it to the store. Now where's the list again? Ah, here it is. Ok, time to go.

"Alright puppies, ready to go shopping with mommy? Ok, into your stroller, everyone."

I never knew they made strollers that could hold three babies at once. Oh well, it's made my life a lot easier when I go places. Now which aisle is the milk on again?

"Ruby? Is that you? Salutations, friend!"

"Oh, hi Penny. How are you?"

"I am sensational, my friend. Oh! Are these your children?"

Oh wow! I can't believe I haven't introduced Penny to my puppies yet! I told her I would. How could I possibly forget? Oh well, better late than never, I guess.

"Yes, they are. This here is Koutavi. This one is named Cucciolo. And here we have Stene. Kids, say hello to Aunt Penny."

"Salutations, infants. I am your mother's very good friend. You are all quite adorable."

I hope she knows that they can't really understand what she's saying. I wonder if she really knows anything about being around babies at all. Hey, maybe I could teach her a little bit. Yeah, that's a great idea!

"You wanna hold one of them, Penny?"

"That would be sensational, Ruby!"

I hope I don't regret this.

"Alright, first, do you see how I'm holding my arms? Put yours the same way."

"You mean like this?"

"That's right, Penny. Now I'm going to put one of the babies in your arms. Be very careful, please."

Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him. Don't drop him.

"Greetings, little one. Your mother said that your name was Koutavi. Is that correct?"

Phew, at least she's being careful. But I still don't think she understands that babies can't understand what we're saying yet.

* _Koutavi starts crying_ *

"What is wrong? Ruby, what did I do?!"

"Oh no! Let me take him! Shh! Calm down, it's alright, it's ok. Mommy's here."

How could I forget?! I can't believe I was so careless. What is wrong with me?!

"I do not understand, Ruby. What did I do wrong? I do not believe I was doing anything to make him uncomfortable."

"No, it's not your fault, Penny. I just forgot that Koutavi gets fussy when he's around people he doesn't know. It takes him a while to get used to new people. Here, why don't you try holding Stene? She's much better when it comes to meeting new people. Hold her the same way you held Koutavi, but be careful with her tail, please. It's very sensitive, and she hates it when her tail gets put in a bad position."

Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her. Don't drop her.

"Greetings, little one. Your mother said that your name was Stene. Is that correct?"

She still doesn't get it? Oh well. I'll tell her sooner or later that babies don't understand what we say. She'll learn. She probably has some sort of bajillion lien supercomputer for a brain.

"That's very good, Penny. Well, anyways, I have to finish shopping, and I'm sure you have places to be."

"Oh yes, I am expected back at my home in approximately 5.2963 minutes."

"Ooooookay…"

She has such weird ways of telling time.

"Anyways, you should come by my house sometime. I think we need to catch up a bit, and maybe try to get my babies to know you a little better. What do you say you come over on Friday?"

"That sounds sensational, friend. I look forward to emotionally bonding with your children just as I have you, Ruby. Farewell."

"Bye, Penny."

Well, this is gonna be interesting.

* * *

* _a few months afterward, a park in Vale_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"What a marvelous spring day this is. This is the most magnificent weather we've seen in quite a long stretch of time."

"Yup, you're right, Petey. I'm glad we decided to take the day to relax. I did promise you lots of calm little walks like this after I gave birth."

"Indeed. And it brings me astronomical amounts of joy that you have made well on that promise, Ruby."

"No problem, Petey. Hey, um, could you hold on for a few minutes? I need to use the little girl's room. Be right back."

Oh, it has been so long since I've been able to peacefully relax with my entire family. This is the first time I've truly been able to take my lovable children out to this bewitchingly beautiful park. Let them experience the beauties of nature.

"Hey Petey, is that you?"

"Oh, hello, Rouge. How does the day find you?"

"Alright, I guess. Are these your kids? I thought you said you were only having one."

Did I say that? I don't recall saying as such. Then again, I have no semblance of a memory stating to Rouge that I would be expecting three infants. I really must maintain closer contact with Rouge. Especially since he is one of the only people from before the second Great War that I have remaining in this world.

"That is the assessment that Ruby and I both had in the inceptive phases of her pregnancy. Even in the days leading up to the day of birth, we were unaware that there were two additional passengers vacating the inside of her body."

"So, what are their names?"

"Well, the boy is named Koutavi. We named the girl with my brown hair Cucciolo. And the other girl, the one with the tail, her name is Stene."

"Well then, Koutavi, Cucciolo, Stene, say hello to Uncle Rouge."

Wait, what did he just say?

"'Uncle'? Might I inquire as to when you decided it was appropriate to take up that honorary title?"

"Well hey, they've got to have _someone_ super awesome to look up to. Someone who'll show them a good time while mom and dad are too busy."

"So that's your aim, is it? You wish to be looked upon as the 'cool' Uncle all the children wish they had?"

"You bet your ass, Petey."

"Watch your language! I don't want my children picking up on a vulgar vocabulary."

"Still, you gotta let me have this, man. Please?"

Should I really let him do this? Do I really want this for my children?

Then again, I have no reason to think negatively about this. I've known Rouge for a great many years now. He would never deliberately do anything that could potentially inflict harm upon anyone who did not deserve punishment. He's been a great friend and confident since the day I met him at Beacon, all those years ago. I trust him with my life. And you know what? I trust him with the lives of my children. And while I'm at it…

"Very well. If this is what you want."

"Alright! Thanks a lot man."

"You may begin your duties as an honorary uncle by coming over to my humble abode on Friday and watching over these three whilst Ruby and I spend the next two days annihilating Grimm in the downtown district."

"What?! But I… I was… Well, alright. I'll do it."

"You have my unceasing and eternal gratitude, Rouge."

Well, at least now, Ruby and I need no longer brood over who shall be keeping our beloved children safe and out of harm's way.

"No problem, Petey. I look forward to getting to know them better. Anyways, I gotta go. See you on Friday."

"Safe travels, my stalwart friend."

It always fills me with such a feeling of exultation whenever I am presented with the opportunity to reconnect with old acquaintances.

"Hey Petey, I'm back!"

"Do you feel better, Ruby?"

"Yep, all better. Shall we keep going?"

"We shall. Oh, by the way, I have found us a sitter for Friday."

* * *

* _a few months later, a restaurant in Vale_ *

How long has it been since Ruby and I have been treated to nice outing at a lavish place such as this? Far too long for my liking. It has also been too long since I have been able to converse with the members of Ruby's family. I find great gaiety in conversing with my in-laws. They're like the only family I have remaining in this mortal world. Mother, father, I miss you terribly.

Ah, there's the family now.

"Ruby, look there. I believe I see your family."

"Oh, I see them. Hi dad! Hi Yang!"

"Hey Rubes!"

"Hi Ruby. Hi Petey. How are you guys? How are your babies?"

"They're good, dad. Here, say hi to them. Cucciolo, Stene, say hi to Grandpa."

* _happy babbling_ *

I'm quite ecstatic that we brought everyone along for this pleasant little outing. It fills my heart with merriment to interact with those I feel I do not spend a great deal of time around, such as Taiyang or Povelitel.

"Hey Rubes, how have you been recently?"

"I've been good, Yang. So are my puppies. I can't believe that they're already a whole year old. Where does the time go? But last week wasn't so good. I got called in to kill some Grimm just outside the kingdom walls, but while I was out there, I ran out of ammo, I cracked a nail, and I…"

Women. Why they impulsively chatter on about every small detail of their personal lives with each other is a complete enigma to me. Are females just more inclined to be talkative than males?

"Hey Petey. S'up man?"

"Oh, hello, Povelitel. Not a great deal. Are you well?"

"I'm good, thanks."

At least we men know how to be friends.

"Hey, little guy. You remember your Uncle Pov, right?"

* _baby babbles_ *

I sincerely hope that he does not begin acting fussy around Povelitel. When was the last time that Koutavi interacted with his uncle? For that matter, when was the last time that I interacted with my nephew?

"Povelitel, where is Kogane, if I may ask?"

"He's over there with Yang."

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"… it took me forever to clean the blood stains off my precious Crescent Rose. But enough about me, what about you, Yang? How have you been? How's Povelitel, how's Kogane?"

"They're good. Why don't you say hi? Kogane, say hi to your Aunt."

"Hi Aunt Ruby! How are you?"

"I'm good. Oh wow! Look how big you're getting! Yang, could you hold the girls for a second? I wanna give my nephew a hug."

"That's fine, Rubes. 'Cause I wanna give my nieces a hug."

Why do all the kids have to grow up so fast? Can't they just stay small and adorable forever? Oh well, at least he's not at that age where he's embarrassed to give hugs to his Aunt yet. How old is he now? I think 5. Yeah, he's 5 years old now.

"Uh, Ruby, a little help, please."

Help? Help with wha…? Is Stene really doing that right now? Is she licking Yang? Aww, she's like an actual puppy right now! It's adorable!

"Hee hee. Is Auntie Yang yummy, Stene?"

"Ruby!"

"Aw, calm down, Yang. That just means she likes you. She does it all the time."

"Be that as it may, I apologize for Stene's actions, Yang. Being a Faunus, it's much more difficult for us to control our instincts in our youth. She'll grow out of it, I assure you."

Well, Petey is a Faunus, so I guess he'd know more about this kinda stuff than I do.

"It's cool. I never said I was angry with her. Just surprised."

Phew, that's a relief.

"Hey girls, our table's ready!"

Oh boy! Time to eat!

"Coming dad!"

* * *

* _at the table_ *

Wow, this is really good food. It's been so long since I've been treated like this. It's also been so long since I've been able to just sit and relax with my entire family around me. This is awesome.

Hey, maybe sometime I could ask if we can do this again, but with Weiss, Blake, and their families. They both have kids with Neptune and Sun now. It would be like one super big family reunion. Yay!

Oh! Or maybe I could just ask them to bring their kids to my house and have Yang bring Kogane so they could play with my puppies. Super playdate! Oh my gosh it's gonna be the cutest thing ever!

"Hey, Ruby, whatcha thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking that we should do this again sometime, but with Weiss, Blake, and their families."

"That's a great idea, Ruby! Why don't we try that in a week or two? Yang, you up for that?"

"Oh, you know it, dad! Great idea little sis!"

"You up for that, Raven?"

"I suppose, Tai."

Yang's mom doesn't really trust me, does she? Nah, Yang said she just acts like that around everyone. Still, I hope she does like me. Oh well, time to take another bite of this yummy food. Mmmmm. Wait, what is this I'm tasting? Are these… could they be… is it…

Onions?

Uh oh! Onions always made me really gassy! Alright, calm down, it's been years since I've had onions. Maybe they won't make me gassy anymore. Things change.

* _gurgle_ *

Things haven't changed. Things haven't changed! Gotta hold it in! Gotta hold it in! Gotta…

* **BURP** *

Couldn't hold it in.

"That's embarrassing. I didn't know there were onions in that meal."

"I didn't know that onions filled your digestive tract with unwanted gasses, Ruby."

"Well, they do, Petey. Ever since I was a kid."

"Well, personally, I thought that that was hilarious, little sis!"

"That was funny, Aunt Ruby!"

* _babies laugh_ *

Well, at least Yang, Kogane, and my puppies have a good sense of humor.

"Ruby! I thought I taught you better than that! Now what are you supposed to say?"

Really?!

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad! Are you really doing this to me? I'm not a little girl anymore!"

"It doesn't matter. You never outgrow your manners. Now say it!"

"Ugh! Fine! 'Excuse me.'"

"There, now was that so hard?"

Yes. It was. Wait, why is dad looking at the kids now? Oh no, not one of his stupid 'life lessons'.

"Kids, let Grandpa Tai give you a little life lesson…"

CRAP!

"It's impolite to burp or fart at the dinner table. You should avoid it if you can. If for some reason you can't, you always have to say 'excuse me' once you're done passing gas."

I hope he knows that only Kogane will be able to remember this. My puppies aren't old enough to remember things like that yet.

* _urp!_ *

I rest my case.

"Tee hee. That was cute, Koutavi. Who's mommy's little gas ball? You are! Yes you are! You want a scratch behind the ear? There you go!"

* _high pitched laughter_ *

It's cute that he has the same weakness as his father. I like how Petey gets all happy when I scratch behind his dog ears. Now I have someone else to make happy like that.

"Ruby! Don't encourage him!"

Dad really needs to calm down about all this whole 'manners' thing. My puppies will be just fine. I'll make sure they don't embarrass themselves too much. Anyways, where's the dessert menu?

* * *

* _about 2 months later_ *

So bored. So, so bored.

Why did they have to leave me here by myself? Petey's off killing Grimm, my puppies are taking a nap, and there's nothing good on TV. I have nothing to do. I'M BORED! I need entertainment.

* _knock knock knock_ *

Huh? Is there someone at the door? I'm not expecting anyone. Is Petey? He didn't tell me. I wonder who it could be. Let's see…

"Hello? Who's there."

"Is this the Lucenay household?"

"We've been searching for a long time."

It sounds like a man and a woman. How did they know that this is the Lucenay house?

"Um, yeah. But who are… Hey!"

* _woman barges in_ *

"Ah! What an absolutely adorable little house! I don't particularly care for the décor. A bit too rustic for my liking, but at least the color is decent. Tell me, did you paint this yourself, dear girl?"

"E-excuse me?! Who are you?! You can't just barge into my house like this!"

"Ahem, excuse my wife's… er… exuberant behavior. Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Hal Lucenay and this is my wife, Mary Ann Lucenay."

Wait, their last name is Lucenay? Ant they're both Dog Faunus, too? Is it possible that…?

"Are you guys Petey's parents?"

"Indeed, we are."

WOW! Petey's mom and dad are still alive! I can't believe it! I'll bet he won't believe it, either!

"Now tell me, who are you?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm Ruby Lucenay. I'm Petey's wife."

"His wife, you say?! Oh, what an adorable little thing you are! An pretty little face, and such lovely eyes. Not keen on the outfit, though, too much red. But still, my boy's got some nice taste in women."

"Um, thanks?"

What's wrong with my clothes? I like red. What does Mrs. Lucenay know?

"Now tell me, where is my dear son?"

"Oh, Petey's out killing Grimm right now. He'll be back…"

* _door opens_ *

"…right now."

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Quite an exhilarating day. I'm very much looking for to spending the rest of this day unwinding with my beloved wife.

"Petey? Is that you?"

"Indeed it is, my dearest."

"Uhh, could you come here, please? We have some unexpected company."

Unexpected company? Whatever does that mean? Is there someone here? I was unprepared for visitors. I wonder who it could…

O-oh my goodness! Is it… Can it be… Are these my… I-I can't believe…

"Mother? Father?"

"Petey, my boy! It's so good to see you again!"

I-is this a dream? It feels too good to be true. M-my parents are alive?!

"I-I thought you both perished during the Second Great War!"

"We thought the same about you, son. The Kingdom of Vale was hit hard during the initial assault. We were devastated."

"Well, then, how have you survived then?"

"Many of Remnant's villages were completely destroyed during the war, but a few of the outlying ones, like ours, were left mostly unaffected. It was hard, but we made it."

My father always has been able to solve many problems under pressure. I'm so glad to see them again.

"I've missed you both terribly."

"And we missed you, sweet child. I see you've done pretty well for yourself. A nice little house, and a pretty little wife."

"Ah yes, I assume that Ruby has already introduced herself. I do hope you form a favorable opinion of her."

"Oh, how I wish we could've been to the wedding. I have about twenty new dresses that would have looked simply marvelous on me. If only I had reason to wear them. But while we're on the subject, what is with your appearance, child? Did I not raise you to dress properly? Your outfit is all wrinkled and the color alone makes me want to vomit. And where did you get those dreadful shoes? You should…"

 _Sigh_. She's still as much of a fashionista as ever. I suppose some things never truly change. Still, it is somewhat comforting that my mother hasn't gone through any noticeable changes. It brings back good memories. I'm so glad they found their way here. How did they discover the location of my residence, anyway?

"…Petey! Are you listening to me?!"

"Y-yes, mother! But, if I may ask, how did you two find your way here? Where did you find out that my residence is here?"

"Oh, well your mother and I decided to come to Vale for a quick vacation, and just earlier today we heard a Huntsman with a large sword say your name. We persuaded him to tell us more."

I'm not certain I want to know what methods of persuasion my father used. He always did get results out of his interrogations. He was a formidable security officer in our village, albeit terrifying when he was seeking answers from his victims. And whom was he referring to when he said 'a Huntsman with a large sword'? Of course. Rouge. Well, they're here now, and I should enjoy it while I am still able.

* _baby sounds from upstairs_ *

"Petey, what is that peculiar noise?"

"It must be the babies. They must have just woken up from their nap. Is it truly that time already? Time sure does fly."

"Wait, wait, wait! What did you just say, Petey? Did you just say the word 'babies'? You mean to say that I am a grandmother now?"

"Indeed, mother. Would you like to meet them?"

"Oh course I would, dear child! I simply _must_ meet my grandbabies! Tell me, how many of them are there? And how old are they?"

"Well, Petey and I had a set of triplets. And the three of them are just a little over a year old."

"Three children, at once?! Oh you poor little thing! That must have been really hard on you. Not to mention your figure. But then again, not everyone can look fabulous and pregnant at the same time. I mean, I did, but not everyone can. Now, come, come. Show me to my grandbabies! Are they upstairs? I'm going to head that way."

"…So, uh, your mom sure is…interesting, Petey."

"I know what you truly mean, Ruby. My mother always has been rather… flamboyant. Given her line of work, I'm not all that surprised."

"Really, what did she do?"

"She worked as a model for a number of magazines and catalogues for a great many years. Even whilst pregnant with me, she still managed to pose in a way that left the photographers contented. And if she looked good, it meant I had to look good as well. She always put such special emphasis on every aspect of my personal appearance. I was always under the assumption that she picked up her exuberant attitude whilst interacting with other models. They all tended to act the same. I apologize if she says or does something to make you feel uncomfortable. Or if she already has."

"Petey! Show your mother and I where your children are, please."

"Coming, father. Shall, we go, Ruby?"

"Yes, we shall."

* _upstairs_ *

"The children's room is in here. Please step lightly, and keep the tone of your voices at a lower volume. We don't wish to startle them. Ruby, would you please enter first and check up on them?"

"Sure thing! … Hey everyone, have a good nap? Well now it's time for… Hey!"

"Hello, darlings! It's time you met your dear sweet grandmummy!"

Did… did my mother just _shove_ my wife to the side and barge in?! I ought to…!

"Mother! That was incredibly rude of yo…"

"Ahem, if I may. I'm very sorry for my wife's actions, son, Ms. Ruby. But don't get too angry with her. You know how your mother gets when she's excited. Rest assured, I'll be having a talk with her about this once we get home. Again, I'm sorry if my wife hurt you, Ms. Ruby."

"I-it's alright, Mr. Lucenay. I'm fine."

"I'm sorry as well, Ruby. My mother shouldn't have done that. But as long as you're alright, I suppose we can put this behind us. For now, that is."

Now then, it is time to introduce my parents to their grandchildren.

"Oh, hello, sweet boy! My, my. You have your daddy's precious little dog ears. You look absolutely beautiful! Tell me, dear boy, what is his name?"

"His name is Koutavi Thomas Lucenay."

"Ah, what a strong name! Say hello to your grandmother, dear boy."

Oh no. Here it comes.

* _Koutavi starts crying_ *

"Here, let me take him! It's alright, Koutavi. She won't hurt you. It's alright. Calm down, dear son of mine. I apologize, mother, but he has a proclivity for getting upset when in direct proximity to someone he is unfamiliar with. It takes time for him to get comfortable with strangers. Why don't you try meeting the others?"

"You know, you were exactly the same when you were young. It took us forever to get you to come out of your shell. Now, where are the others? Ah! Hello there, little girl! What a cute little one you turned out to be! You've got all your grandmother's good looks! Simply darling! But… are there no dog ears on you?"

"No, that one is human, like Ruby. Her name is Cucciolo Crescent Lucenay."

"Not the name I would have chosen, but still, she's precious nonetheless. She looks a lot like I did when I was but a baby. I think she and I will get along just dandy! Now, where's the last one?"

I'm so glad that she holds no resentment toward Cucciolo for being a human. I wonder how she'll react to Stene.

"Oh, hello, dear girl! My, you certainly took after your mother in looks, didn't you? Well, it's a good thing your mother is so adorable, and so are you! You're so cute I could just eat you up! Ah! So darling! But still no ears? Another human?"

"Look behind her, mother."

"Hmm? Oh! What a fabulous little tail you've got, darling! Isn't it just precious, Hal?"

"It sure is, dear. It looks a lot like your mother, Stene's tail. What's her name, son?"

I wonder how mother will react when I reveal that I named my daughter after her mother.

"Well, we decided to bestow upon her the name… Stene Zwei Lucenay."

"Y-you named her after my mother? Oh, Petey! You're such a sweet boy! I couldn't have chosen a better name. Oh, look at me! I'm getting all teary eyed. No, I mustn't cry. It'll stain my dress."

"Your children are all lovely, Petey. You've built a great family. I couldn't be prouder of you."

"Thank you, father. That means a lot to me."

I wish they would be able to visit more often. Why must the village be so far from Vale?

"Well, I suppose we should be getting back. We have to return home tomorrow."

"Oh, posh! We only just got here and reconnected with our son and met our grandbabies! We should stay here! It's much roomier than that tiny little village."

"I wish we could, Mary Ann. I really do. But we can't just stay here forever. We have a home back there."

"Oh, rubbish! I never truly liked it much there anyways. Say, why don't we just move here to Vale? We could be closer to our boy and his family, plus it would be good to have a nice change of scenery."

Is she serious? Is it truly possible that I'll be getting to spend more time with my parents after so many years apart?! That would be grand!

"Actually, that might not be so bad an idea. We'll talk about it once we get home. Hey Petey, I hope you're not too tired of this old face, because soon, you might just be seeing it a lot more often."

"Personally, I'd like nothing more, father. It would be sublime getting to spend more time with you and mother. It's been years. Wouldn't that be great, Ruby?"

"Oh yes! I'd like to spend some time with my in-laws. I can't wait to get to know you better."

"Well, I can't wait to know you too, Ms. Ruby. My son made a good choice marrying you."

"Thank you, Mr. Lucenay."

"Please, call me Hal. Well, we'll be seeing you, son. Bye Petey, bye, Ms. Ruby, bye kids!"

If my parents truly do move to the city of Vale, I would be elated! I cannot wait to reconnect with them after so long. This will be marvelous, I can already tell.

* * *

* _a few months later_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Phew, finally got the puppies to calm down and fall asleep."

"Rather miraculous timing, Ruby. This set of commercials have ceased and the movie has resumed."

"Yay! I missed a lot trying to get the three of them to sleep. It's been years since I've seen this movie. What part are we at?"

"The protagonist just vanquished the enemy army single handedly and is about to reunite with his love. I must say, the array of moves, magic, and weapons he used against his enemies was astonishing. He truly has come quite far since his journey began."

"Aw man! That was my favorite part!"

"It was quite an exhilarating sequence. I'm glad we decided to settle upon this movie."

Note to self: Next time you're out, go to a movie store and get a copy of this one. I really want to watch it start to finish now. Anyway, what part comes next again? He beat the bad guys, then he…

" _My love. At last we are reunited. It has been so long._ "

" _I'm so glad you made it. I've missed you._ "

Ugh. Here comes that really sappy scene. I totally forgot about this part. Don't they know that the evil warrior king is still alive and really wants them both dead? They don't have time to act all lovey dovey. There are battles to fight!

" _It has been far too long since we've been together like this._ "

" _Wh-what's gotten into you?_ "

" _I'm feeling spontaneously romantic right now. Care for a dance, my princess?_ "

" _Of course, my prince._ "

Oh brother, here comes about 5 minutes of total pointlessness. Did they really feel the need to insert this?

"I'll never understand why this scene had to exist. They still have people to go and fight and defeat if they want to win in the end."

"There does seem to be a lack of setup for this scene, I'll grant you that, Ruby. Just a moment ago, his face was covered with the blood of his enemies, and now suddenly, he's dancing with the princess. At the very least, there should have been a smoother transition into this scene."

I guess that makes sense. If this scene _has_ to exist, at least ease into it right. If this movie was done my way, the movie would be a big awesome fighting fest with all the romantic stuff just put at the end, when all the bad guys are dead.

"Still, you must think about it from his perspective. He has been separated from his love and has not been with her for months. He must be elated to see her again, and he wishes to show her a token of affection. If I were to be separated from you, I would likely react in a similar manner upon seeing your perplexing face again. At least we do not have an army to fight in order to see each other again."

Well, that's true too, I guess. I would be sad if Petey was somehow taken from me and I didn't see him for months. I would even dance with him once we saw each other again. I love him.

Wait, why is he looking at me like that?

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

"Ruby, I'd very much like to try something with you."

"What do you mean, Petey?"

"I very much enjoy my time with you, my dearest. Spending time alone with you like this, it fills me with an unparalleled pleasure."

I hope she doesn't think me too forward with what I am about to do. It has been far too long since we've done something like this. I must say, Ruby is so adorable even she's embarrassed.

"M-me too, Petey. We should do something together sometime. Just us. But what should we do? And when?"

"How about right now?"

"Now? But what should we do?"

I hope she likes what I have in mind.

"Well, to quote the feature film we're watching, I'm feeling spontaneously romantic right now. Care for a dance, my princess?"

"Wh-what's gotten into you, Petey?"

"Please, my dear?"

"O-OK, I guess."

Marvelous! I'm very ecstatic that she has agreed to my proposal. Now then, I believe I should start by putting one of my hands on her waist and the other in her hand… Yes, just like that.

Now then, how to execute this particular dance? Well, I should be leading, for one. I believe I'll start with a simple step backwards… Now perhaps forward. So far so good.

Now give Ruby a nice twirl… Another simple stepping motion. They make this look infinitely easier on television and movies. What next? Hmm… Perhaps a dip… Yes, magnificent.

"You're doing magnificently, Ruby."

"Th-thank you, Petey. I-I've just never seen myself as much of a dancer."

Alright, the music on the television is beginning to slow. I believe now is an ideal time for the finale. So, one more twirl, and then hold her close.

"That was sublime, my beloved."

"Th-thanks, Petey. I'm glad you l-liked it. It w-was fun, actually."

By Oum, even when she's blushing as red as her hair, she's so beautiful. I have been blessed with the most wonderful woman in all of Remnant.

"It was indeed, Ruby. It was indeed."

"I love you so much. Never forget that. I love you so much, Petey."

* _passionate kiss_ *

"And I you, Ruby. I will always love you."

* _they resume kissing_ *

* * *

 **Well, there's another chapter under my belt.**

 **As I said earlier, this was only meant to be a filler chapter, so it's obviously not my best work. I hope you guys aren't disappointed with that. If you are, I'm sorry. But take solace in this:**

 **Next chapter things will be spiced up a bit. As stated, I have some big things planned. There will be action, drama, suspense, as well as the revelation of something I've been building up to since nearly the beginning. I can't wait to have it out.**

 **A little bit of trivia: As I stated in chapter 1, I named Petey after my own dog (who sadly passed away a few months ago). And we named him after the dog from an old show called** ** _The Little Rascals._** **So I named his parents after other people associated with the show. His father's name comes from Hal Roach, the creator of the** ** _Rascals._** **I initially thought about giving Petey the same last name as a tribute, but 'Petey Roach' just didn't sound right to me. It reminded me too much of cockroaches, which I despise. Horrid little pests. Anyway, his mother's name comes from Mary Ann Jackson, one of the female leads of the** ** _Rascals_** **.**

 **If you liked this chapter, great. Let me know by following, favoriting, or reviews. I would greatly appreciate it. If you didn't, again, I'm sorry. This was by no means my best work, but I really didn't intend for it to be. But please don't leave hate comments.**

 **So, until the next chapter, Peace out, everyone!**


	18. The Red Fang

**What is happening, people of the internet? I am back at last for yet another great chapter! Are you ready for it?!**

 **It's been a long journey for me since I began writing this story, and the conclusion is drawing closer. We're getting down to the wire here, people. We're nearing the end. I hope you've liked what I have out so far, and I hope you like what I have left.**

 **I don't want to ramble, so let's get this chapter going!**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _a few months after the end of the last chapter_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

* * *

What another great day. My puppies are all happy and playful and healthy. And Petey's going to be back soon so we can relax like one big happy family. Times like that make me super happy. I like it when we're all happy and fun.

"You guys having lots of fun?"

* _happy babbling_ *

I could just sit and watch them play with their toys all day long. They're just so precious and cute! I love them all so much. I hope we can love and protect them for until they can take care of themselves, maybe even after. As a mom, it's my job to keep them safe and happy for as long as I can. And this is one job I don't want to quit.

Ah well, what are the odds of anything _that_ bad ever happening to them?

"You guys are all so cute. You all know that, right?"

Aww, their tiny little faces are so adorable. I could just die from the cuteness.

I wonder what they're going to want to do when they grow up. I hope they decide to be like their mommy and daddy and become Huntsmen and Huntresses. I wonder what kind of weapons they would make. Maybe a Buzzsaw Machine gun, or Sais that become pistols, or a lance that can shoot Dust or lasers, or… I'm drooling just thinking about my puppies being all grown up and using super cool weapons like that.

I also wonder what kinds of Semblances they'll have. Will they be like the Schnee family and get either mine or Petey's? Or will they be unique to them? Ooh, I can't wait for them to grow up!

Actually, I take that back. I want them to be my cute, tiny little puppies for as long as possible. I CAN wait for them to grow up.

"…Raa… Ahh. Ahh!"

"Huh? What is it, Cucciolo? Oh, do you want upsies?"

She must want to be picked up. She's looking at me and reaching her tiny little arms out toward me. Strange, I didn't really expect that from her. She's always been a daddy's girl. She always seemed happiest when Petey was holding her or playing with her. What changed? Why is she suddenly on my side? Oh well, I'm not gonna question it.

"Alright, then. Up you go! Here, sit next to mommy."

I'm glad that I get to be so close to my puppies. Spending time with them has been some of the most fun I've ever had outside of being a Huntress.

* _Stene begins crying_ *

Well, I can't say that was unexpected, Cucciolo's always been a daddy's girl, but Stene has always been the world's biggest mommy's girl. She loves me more than just about anything. She's always at her happiest with me. I don't know why, but lately, she gets upset when I pay more attention to Koutavi or Cucciolo. I don't know why they seem to prefer one over the other. It's weird. I hope it's just a phase. Oh well, I'm sure it is. I need to calm down Stene.

"Aw, is someone getting a little fussy? Well don't worry, mommy will pick you up too! Here we are, all nice and cozy next to your mom."

Aww, Stene's so cute when her little tail is wagging like that. Why don't I have a camera with me? I really wish I could have a picture of this. Just me and my girls, all sitting together. I love this.

"Mommy loves both of her gorgeous girls. And her beautiful boy, too. Here, Koutavi, sit in mommy's lap. I want all three of my puppies close to me. I love all of you so much!"

Now where's that camera? This would be an even better picture. The only way this could possibly be better is if Petey was here. I'd like one nice big family picture. I don't think the 29 we already have are enough. It's like bullets in my precious Crescent Rose. There can never be enough.

* _door opens_ *

"Hello, Ruby. I'm back."

"Hi, Petey! We're in here."

Maybe now we can get that picture.

"Hello, my love. How has your day been transpiring thus far?"

* _Ruby and Petey kiss_ *

"Pretty good. Just me and the puppies sitting here and playing together. You should join us. Here, I think Cucciolo wants to be held by you."

Heh, like I said, total daddy's girl.

"Hello, my darling daughter. Did you miss me? I'm quite certain you did. My, my, you're growing by leaps and bounds every day. All of you are. The day will soon come when neither of us will be able to so much as lift any of you three an inch off the ground."

"You're right, Petey. I can't believe that they'll be two whole years old in just a couple months. Why can't they just stay my tiny and adorable little puppies forever?"

"Peace, Ruby. We are both aware that that is not an option. They must grow eventually. But you needn't worry yourself. There is still an ample amount of time remaining before they are no longer children."

Well, I can't argue with that.

"And when they are grown and ready for the world, it means we did a superb job raising them and preparing them for whatever trials the world might offer them, whether they be good or bad."

He makes a lot of really good points. I still hope when they grow up, they decide to do what I do. Being a Huntress is awesome! I hope they think so too when they grow up. Oh well. I'll love them no matter what they decide to do.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of the day, my darling?"

"Well, I'm perfectly happy to just sit and relax with you and the puppies for the rest of the day. How does that sound, Petey?"

"That sounds extraordinary, my love. I, too, and content to just sit in the company of my ravishing wife and endearing young children for what remains of this fine day."

I'm glad we can agree on something. I really, really love my Petey.

"Although, tomorrow, I feel it would be beneficial if we were to get some fresh air and enjoy the tranquil surroundings of nature. And not during the act of terminating wave upon wave of those abhorrent Grimm."

That actually sounds like a lot of fun. It would be nice to spend some time outside and maybe look for butterflies instead of looking for Nevermores.

"Sure! Sounds fun, Petey. Tomorrow's gonna be really nice, I can already tell."

* * *

* _the next day, Vale Central Park_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

Ah, what an absolutely exquisite summer day. I feel like this is the kind of day where nothing can possibly go wrong.

"Isn't today simply winsome, my dearest?"

"Uh-huh. It's very pretty out. Not a cloud in the sky, bright warm sun, it's nice."

"Are you sure that you are fine holding the two of them at once? Should we have brought the stroller?"

"I told you, I'm fine, Petey. Koutavi and Stene are safe in my arms, just like Cucciolo's safe in yours. Besides, if I do get tired, then maybe we can just sit in the shade and relax, just like last time."

She seems perfectly confident in her answer. Her confidence in herself is very awe inspiring and befitting of an esteemed leader, not to mention simply alluring. I love her so much for her immense strength and altruistic personality. Not to mention her extraordinarily beauteous appearance.

"Uh, Petey? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, no reason, Ruby. I was merely basking in your appealing looks."

"P-Petey!"

Even when she is blushing, I cannot help but think she is the most exquisite creature on the planet.

"Oh, come now, is there truly any folly in mentioning your immense beauty? Because if so, I would prefer not to be in the right. You truly are so beautiful, my love, and our children are as well."

"W-well, thanks, Petey. You always know how to make me feel special, I'll give you that. I love you, Petey."

"High praise coming from you, Ruby. And I only have this to say in response to your benevolent words, Ruby."

* _Petey kisses Ruby_ *

"And that is that I too, lov…"

* **KABOOM** *

Great Monty Oum! What was that? Did some sort of attack just occur?! We must find out!

"Ruby, this way! Make haste!"

Alright, we need only follow the massive trail of smoke and… Monty! Did someone launch a missile at that building?! Who could have done such a thing?!

* _two airships arrive_ *

What are those airships doing here? Did they deploy the missile? Hold on a moment. That logo on the airships, the Faunus wearing masks deploying from them.

Has the White Fang been reborn?!

This isn't possible! Why would the White Fang revive itself? We've finally procured peace with the human race. Why would they…? Their twisted motivations hold little meaning. It is our responsibility to defeat them, once and for all so that we…

Oh no!

"Ruby, we must depart, now!"

This can't be. This cannot be!

"W-what?! We can't leave yet, Petey! We have to stay, we have to fight! We have to protect these innocent people from the White Fang!"

"How do you intend to fight whilst holding two infants in your arms?! Now we must go. Quickly! Before he spots us. We cannot let him see us!"

"Before who sees us?!"

Sweet Monty Oum, we're too late. We have been sighted.

"Well, well. Look who's here, it's my favorite cousin. Hello, Petey. I always knew that one day, we'd meet again."

"* _sigh_ * Indeed. I, too, had a foreboding feeling that, had you survived the second Great War, our paths would inevitably cross again. I had merely hoped that when the time came, it would be in a more favorable location, such as your deathbed, or your coffin. What are you doing here!?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're here to finish what we started. It's time to punish mankind for their crimes against our kind."

"Are you blind, man?! Have you not looked around recently? There have been no major incidents between Faunus and humans since the war ended. We have achieved peace. But actions like yours will only provide them with reason to hate and fear us again."

"They will always hate us, Petey! Those pathetic humans will never change. They will always fear, discriminate, and kill us just for being different. We must kill them first, if we truly want peace. We could have done this together, Petey. We could have made a better world as a family. We still can. It's not too late for you to join us."

Is he truly so dense that he cannot remember what happened last time he asked?

"I already said 'no' the last time you put forth a request for me to join the White Fang when we were but children. I will most certainly not join your ranks now. Especially since I now have children of my own to care for and protect."

"The White Fang is no more. That group wanted to be equal with the humans, wanted peace with them, no matter the cost. We don't want peace, we don't want equality. We want blood. The blood of every last human spilled until there are no more. Only then will we have a peaceful world. We are now called the Red Fang. And you will join us, Petey. If not for your sake, for your kids, so they won't grow up hated just for their ears and tail."

He truly is as insane as he is deaf to my responses.

"I'm not quite sure how it's feasible, but I seem to have forgotten that you were never as… intellectually gifted as I was. So, in lieu of that, allow me to rephrase my answer in a manner that your depraved, unhinged, and malevolent mind might better comprehend. * _Ahem_ *"

Oh, I've longed to say this for years.

"GO TO HELL, ADAM!"

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Wow, I don't think I've ever heard Petey scream so loud.

W-wait, did he say 'Adam'? As in 'Adam Taurus'? N-no. No! it can't be! I can't believe… The one who cut off my sister's arm, attacked Weiss's company for years, and tormented Blake for so long, is my husband's cousin?! The one he said so many horrible things about?! He's related to that monster?! And now that we're married, _I'm_ related to that monster?! Why didn't he tell me?! He told me his cousin and this Adam guy were different people! Why did he lie to me?!

"So be it, Petey. I suppose you'll never see that your way of trying to make a better world will never work. If you will not join me and be part of the family, then I will take your family from you. You might not be willing to join us, but we're always looking for new recruits."

Wait, why is he looking at me when he says 'new recruits'? I'm not a Faunus. Actually, it seems like he's looking at…

Oh no.

"No. Please, no! Not them!"

"Hand them over, girl."

"N-no! NO! I won't let you take any of my babies from me!"

"You _are_ going to hand them to us, girl. Do so willingly, and _maybe_ I'll let you and your other brat live to fight another day."

Oh no! What do I do?! I can't let him take Koutavi and Stene from me! But I can't really hold my weapon and defend myself or them right now. What do I do?!

"How dare you threaten my wife and children, Adam! If you come a step closer to them, I'll jam my flail right between your Oumdamn horns!"

I can't let Petey fight this guy alone. What should I do?

* _sirens wailing_ *

Oh, thank Oum. Maybe the police can help.

"Sir, the police have arrived. What should we do?"

"I'll handle the authorities. The rest of you, take those two Faunus children from the woman and kill everyone else."

"B-but sir, that Dog Faunus, isn't he your cousin?"

"I said: _Kill everyone else!_ "

"Yes, sir."

Oh no! I can't fight without dropping my puppies, and I don't want to leave them where they could be taken while my back is turned. What should I do?!

"Ruby, stay behind me. I'll handle them."

I hope he can take them all on.

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Adam left the scene to deal with the incoming police. As he left, 20 soldiers of the Red Fang surrounded Ruby and Petey as the latter prepared to fight.

He readied his flail for an assault, and placed Cucciolo in the large sling on his back he used to carry the spiked part of his flail, where she remained for the duration of the battle.

One of the Red Fang soldiers got right next to Petey and raised his rifle to the Huntsman's head. With quick reflexes, Petey knocked the gun out of the attacker's hands with his flail. He then hit the soldier in the stomach with his flail before hitting him again in the chin. The assailant flew back before hitting the ground. Two more, armed with swords, charged at the Dog Faunus, but he swiftly dodged their attacks. He then hit one of them in the back with his flail, sending the grunt down. After that, he struck the second one in the side of the head before shooting him in the chest with his flail's rifle. He then shot the first one as he attempted to get up.

"Is that all you got?! You worthless bitches are a disgrace!" Petey shouted.

Petey then heard Ruby scream. He turned to look at her, and he saw 4 Red Fang members surrounding her attempting to kill her. He used his semblance to jump over to her. He landed between his wife and a Gorilla Faunus with a sword. He instantly brought his flail down on the attacker's head. Once he pulled the flail from the Gorilla Faunus' skull, he turned his attention to a Frog Faunus pointing a gun at him. He used his flail and Aura to block several shots from the rifle until he struck the Frog Faunus in the knees, making the mask wearing Faunus stumble. Petey then spun around and hit the fighter in the neck with his sharp flail. Then he went after another one who had a sword. He swung his flail at the sword. The chain of the flail wrapped around the sword. Petey then shot at the fourth Faunus surrounding Ruby several times, sending him flying back. He then gave his flail a hard tug, pulling the sword out of the other Faunus' hands. Petey then finished him off with a hard flail swing to the face.

"Any asshole who comes near my wife and children will get their damn spine snapped in two! ANY OF YOU PRICKS WANNA TRY YOUR LUCK?! I DARE YOU!" Petey shouted in a rage.

All the remaining Red Fang soldiers didn't approach the pair, but they didn't attempt to retreat either.

"Uhh, thanks for saving us, Petey." Ruby said, breathing in relief.

"No problem, Ruby. LOOK OUT!" Her husband shouted.

With lightning reflexes, Petey used his semblance to jump behind Ruby, where another Red Fang grunt was charging her with a sword. The soldier tried bringing the sword down on Petey, but the Dog Faunus managed to parry the attack, nearly knocking the sword from the attacker's hand. With his enemy left wide open, Petey quickly twisted his flail around, and shot at his opponent at point blank range.

He then jumped for another Red Fang soldier who was aiming a rifle at him and Ruby. Once he landed, he knocked the gun from the attacker's hands using his flail. He then hit his opponent in the side, and followed it up with a hard smack to the face, followed by a few more until the Red Fang soldier went down. Another one charged at him, but Petey sidestepped the attack then wrapped the chain of his flail around his enemy's neck and started yanking. Petey kept yanking until he heard a hard snap come from the neck.

"I'll slaughter each and every one of you bastards like the animals you are!" The Dog Faunus screamed.

A Snake Faunus then came charging at Petey and tried to slice him with a sword, but Petey managed to dodge. The Snake Faunus then tried a different approach. The assailant tried biting Petey using her large fangs. However, Petey again managed to dodge that attack as well. He then retaliated by swinging his flail into the stomach, making his enemy double over. Petey pulled his flail from his enemy's stomach, and hit said enemy again in the mouth, completely knocking the fangs right out of the Snake Faunus' mouth, as well as sent her flying until she stopped in front of Ruby. The Snake Faunus tried to get up, but a kick to the face from Ruby put the soldier back down.

"Leave us alone!" Ruby shouted.

Petey used his semblance to jump in front of another Red Fang soldier with a sword. With an angry war cry, he approached his opponent, readying his flail for a strike. His opponent raised his sword to do the same. Both Faunus swung their respective weapons at each other. Ultimately, Petey was faster, and he knocked his opponent high into the air with a hard flail swing to the chin. As his enemy began falling back to the ground, Petey turned his flail around and began shooting at said enemy several times until his magazine was empty. A lifeless body then hit the ground.

Suddenly, an Elephant Faunus came up behind Petey and hit him in the knees then the head, knocking the Dog Faunus to the ground and causing him to drop his flail. The Red Fang soldier aimed his rifle at Petey's head once he was on the ground, but was distracted when Petey gave off an extremely pissed off yell. Petey immediately got up and used his semblance to jump behind the Elephant Faunus before his enemy could shoot him. He then wrapped his arms around the Elephant Faunus then did a backflip. The Red Fang soldier's head hit the hard ground, and a sickening snap was heard.

Petey got up, grabbed his flail, and jumped over to another Red Fang soldier with a rifle. The enemy soldier tried aiming at Petey, but before he could fire a single round, Petey knocked the gun out of his hands with his flail. Petey then grabbed his enemy and jumped as high into the air as his semblance would allow. He then threw his enemy off of him and the Red Fang soldier began hurtling toward the ground like a meteor until landing right on top of another Red Fang soldier. When Petey landed on the ground, he saw the two bodies in a heap, with their arms, legs, and necks bent in several places at extremely unnatural angles.

Petey then reloaded his flail's rifle before setting his sights on another Red Fang soldier. With an angry scream, he leapt toward another one, swinging his flail at his opponent's back. The spikes of the flail tore into his enemy's back, leaving a large open wound. The Red Fang soldier fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Petey turned his flail around and began shooting directly into the open wound until the screaming came to an end. Petey turned and saw another Red Fang member gearing up for a fight. The enemy aimed his gun an Petey, but Petey was quicker and shot his rifle at his opponent's hand, forcing him to drop the rifle. Petey then jumped toward his enemy and struck him with his flail in the foot, knee, crotch, ribs, chest, and cheek. The Red Fang soldier fell and did not get back up.

Petey turned and saw another member of the Red Fang, fire burning in his eyes. But rather than fight, the Red Fang soldier dropped his sword, and attempted to flee, not wanting to share the fate of all of his comrades. Petey suddenly fired off several rounds at a nearby lamppost until it fell. It fell right on top of the fleeing soldier, leaving him trapped under its weight. Petey used his semblance to jump over to the trapped soldier and began striking him viciously in the back of the head with his flail.

"This. Is what. You get. When you. Mess. With my. Family!" Petey angrily yelled in between flail strikes.

Once the body stopped moving, Petey looked around for any more enemies to kill, but only saw Ruby, as well as Koutavi and Stene in her arms. Ruby had a shocked, almost horrified, expression on her face. Petey's expression softened as he looked away, almost in regret of his overly violent actions. Ruby's expression also softened as she realized that at least she and her children were safe. Her husband had defended them to the end.

"I think you got them all, Petey." Ruby breathed in relief as she looked around at all the fallen Red Fang soldiers.

However, just as she finished speaking, two Red Fang soldiers snuck up behind her. Before she knew what was going on, one of then hit her in the back of the head with his rifle, knocking her out cold. As she was falling to the ground, the other Red Fang soldier grabbed Koutavi and Stene from her arms and made a beeline for the airships.

Petey's overly sensitive dog ears had picked up the sound of Ruby getting hit upside the head. When he turned in her direction, he saw his wife unconscious on the ground, and a member of the Red Fang standing over her with a gun pointed at her head.

"NO!" He shouted.

Petey's expression grew angry again as he pointed his rifle at the goon standing over Ruby and shot him. The mask wearing Faunus immediately dropped his gun and stood there, clutching his wound. Petey used his semblance to jump over to the Red Fang soldier and swung his flail at his feet. The Red Fang member was knocked off his feet, and once on the ground, Petey swung his flail downward. Right into the open gunshot wound in the soldier's chest. Petey struck this spot several times, and then he stepped on the spiked end of the flail, sending it even deeper into the Red Fang soldier's chest. When he pulled it out, the spiked end was covered in blood. Petey then shot the assailant in the skull.

"I warned you there'd be Hell to pay if you dared try touch me wife, you son of a bitch!" Petey shouted.

He then dropped his flail and went over to Ruby, who was just starting to regain consciousness.

"Ruby, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Petey asked as he tried helping Ruby to her feet.

"Uuuhhh. Wha' happened?" She asked as she got up. She started rubbing the sore spot on the back of her head. But right then she realized something important.

Her arms were empty.

"Ruby? Is something wrong?" Petey asked.

"P-Petey! They're gone! Koutavi and Stene! They're gone! Look!" She said pointing to the airships.

Petey looked at the airships and saw them departing and their doors closing. But before they closed, he saw Adam looking directly at him, as well as one of the Red Fang soldiers clutching a crying Koutavi and Stene in his arms. The airships then began flying away.

"NOOO!" Petey angrily shouted as he tried to run toward the airships to rescue his children. When he couldn't catch them, he tried using his semblance to jump up on them. But by then, they were too far gone. He landed on the ground and could only look on in shock as the airships flew further away.

Ruby ran to catch up to her husband, and when she was next to him, she too saw the Red Fang airships flying away. She then fell to her knees as tears began welling in her eyes, and she let out a deafening scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

 **Well, this turned out shorter than I initially thought it would.**

 **So, it's finally been revealed. Adam Taurus is the evil cousin that Petey kept talking about. That's something I've had in mind since the day I began planning this fic. I tried placing hints of it throughout the story, although, admittedly, I could have done a better job of it. Oh well, c'est la vie, that's life. What are your thoughts on this development? I'd enjoy feedback.**

 **The reason I decided to have it changed from White Fang to Red Fang is mostly to reflect my own views on the matter in the actual show. Here's what I mean: In the show, the White Fang was once a peaceful organization simply trying to get equality for the Faunus species. They went about this by holding peaceful protests and staging boycotts against anti-Faunus companies and the like. They just wanted to be seen as equal to their human counterparts, and they did it by using methods akin to that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man I hold in high regard. When I think of peace, I typically think of the color white. Given the show's heavy emphasis on color, I'm sure Monty or someone else at Rooster Teeth thought the same. Heck, according to Blake, their logo used to be white in color. But at some point before Volume one, they changed their methods to become a terrorist organization, now using violence and the attempted extermination of the human race to achieve their goals. When I think of mass murder and violence and destruction, images of red come to my mind, not white. I tend to think of blood or fire in those scenarios, both of which are red, not white. Even their current logo has been changed to red. So why are they still called the 'White' Fang?**

 **Anyway, all that aside, how was this chapter? Did you like it? No? Let me know. If you're leaning on the negative side, don't use unnecessarily harsh words. A simple 'this sucked' will get your message across. I'll also accept constructive criticism so that, one day, I may become a better writer. I want to write to the best of my abilities. However, if you did like it, please let me know. I welcome your feedback.**

 **Not sure how long it's going to be until I get another chapter up, but until then, I bid you all adieu.**


	19. Infiltration

**[Insert usual ramblings here]**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _one day after the end of the last chapter_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* * *

Crying.

Sobbing.

Bawling.

Oh, sweet Monty I HATE this noise!

This high-pitched squeal has always been extraordinarily painful to my overly sensitive dog ears. The execrable sound can only be compared to that of a banshee. Ugh! I cannot take much more of it! 'Is there any sound worse than someone crying at the top of their lungs?' I would ask myself in my adolescence. Well, now I have procured an answer, and it is yes.

The only thing worse than the sound of crying is the sound of my wife crying.

This is a noise that pains me in more ways than one. Why did this have to happen? Why does Ruby have to be in such distress? Why was I not strong enough to protect Koutavi and Stene, my own children? Some father and husband I am, if I am unable to perform the simple task of keeping my family safe. What good am I? Do I possess any more use at all? Perhaps not. Perhaps it would be to everyone's benefit if I were to leav…

NO! No, do not think like that, Lucenay! You are strong! You must be! You must… you will find a way to rescue your children. But for now, you must continue comforting Ruby.

"Oh, Ruby, I'm so, so sorry I couldn't protect our children. That I was unable to keep them safe when they needed me."

"* _sniff_ * * _hic_ * W-why didn't you t-tell me, Petey?"

"Tell you what, Ruby?"

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL 'WHAT'! W-why didn't you tell me that your cousin was the one who hurt all my friends? He cut off my sister's arm! Don't you think I deserved to know the truth?"

I should have foreseen this very question coming. I should have been better prepared. No use delaying it any longer.

"Yes, you deserved to know, and I am sorry for keeping it from you. Especially after all he has done to those you care for. That, in part, is actually why I kept it from you."

"What * _sniff_ * What do you mean?"

"I told you shortly after we initially met that my cousin had joined the White Fang and was responsible for many vile acts. However, once I became aware that he was the one who maimed your sister, I feared that if you discovered I was a blood relative of the one responsible, you would no longer want to be with me. After learning of his actions against Weiss and Blake, my fear only grew. So I led you on to believe that my cousin was simply some random grunt in the White Fang and Adam Taurus was a separate individual, when, in reality, they were one and the same. I spouted the lies I did purely out of selfishness, because I didn't want to lose you. I truly am sorry for my actions… and I understand if you never want to lay eyes on me again."

There goes the only true feelings of love I'll ever experience in my life. Gone, because of my own selfishness. I don't deserve to be with someone as wonderful as Ruby.

"N… * _hic_ * No. Stay here."

What? She is not going to abandon me? I don't understand.

"Don't forget, y-you're not the only one with an evil relative. My mother did things far worse than Adam did, I'm sure. * _sniffle_ * And if you could still stay with me despite knowing who my mother was, then I think I can stay with you despite knowing who your cousin is. I-I just don't understand why we couldn't protect our babies! * _sob_ *"

* _Ruby continues crying_ *

It breaks my heart seeing my wife so distraught. I wish we knew where Adam took Koutavi and Stene so we could rescue them. Where could he possibly have gone?

* _knock knock knock_ *

Oh, thank Oum, assistance has arrived. I hope that everyone I asked for has arrived.

* _opens door_ *

"Hello everyone. Please, come in."

"Why did you call all of us here, Petey?"

"Ruby and I are in desperate need of assistance. Something terrible has happened. Yang, you may wish to go to your sister. She is currently in the living room."

"Uh, Ok?"

I hope Yang can succeed where I have failed in providing solace to Ruby.

"Ruby? Are you in here? Petey said that you… Ruby! What's wrong?! What happened?! Why are you crying?"

* _Ruby clutches Yang_ *

"Y-Yang! * _sniff_ * * _choke_ * H-he took them! HE TOOK THEM!"

"W-who took them? Who took what?"

"K-Koutavi and Stene! He took them!"

"WHAT?! Someone kidnapped your kids?! Oh, this is... this is horrible! How could anyone steal my sweet little sister's adorable babies?! Ruby, just give me a name, and I will rip his throat out for you before finding your kids."

"Actually, I don't believe you want to try that, Yang."

"Oh really? And why's that, Lucenay?"

She needs to learn how to tone down the sarcasm.

"Because the individual you seek is one you have encountered before. The one most responsible for that large scar wrapped around your arm. An individual by the name of… Adam Taurus."

"Oh… him."

"Yes. That is why I called all of you here. Adam is a particularly dangerous enemy. He has reformed the White Fang, only now they refer to themselves as the Red Fang. He and his new soldiers have taken our children from us. But even without his new followers, Adam will not be taken down easily. It will likely take all of us if we are to defeat him and retrieve our children."

I only hope that the people I have assembled will be sufficient enough to bring Adam down.

"But, why would Adam do this to you? Surely he must have had a reason."

Oh please, what does Blake know about Adam and his twisted motivations? Wait, _does_ she perhaps possess knowledge about Adam? Not likely, but it is worth inquiring, I guess.

"Alright, Blake, maybe you shouldn't…"

"No, Sun. Let her speak. What were you saying, Blake? Do you perchance have some feasible information about Adam?"

"…I-I don't want to admit this to those of you who don't already know, but, I knew him, once. He and I entered the White Fang around the same time. He was my mentor, he trained me. At first, we wanted the same thing, to be seen as equals by the humans. Adam was a good person. But when the White Fang got new leaders, he was the first to embrace their new philosophy of violence against humans. When I had had enough of his new personality, I left him. That's when I entered Beacon and began training to be a Huntress. Even when he did become violent, he always did what he did for some kind of reason. It was almost never just a simple 'revenge against the humans' with him. There was always some underlying cause."

Adam? A good person? Those two things do not belong in the same sentence. But as for a reason…

"Clearly, you do not know Adam the way I do. He has always had blackness and vile in his heart, even before he entered the White Fang. He's held a resentment for humans practically since the day of his birth. I believe that when he joined the White Fang, he attempted to do things the peaceful way, but quickly concluded that it would not be effective, so he resorted to the only thing he was good at: violence. To him, harming others brings a demented sense of pleasure."

"What makes you think you know Adam so well?"

Well, here it goes.

"Well, Blake, like you, I am… reluctant to admit what I am about to, but here goes. You stated he never did anything without cause. Well, I am the cause of this tragedy. He abducted my children to get back at me."

"You? What did you ever do to him?"

"Well, you see, Rouge… He is my biological first cousin. He's always wanted me to join the White Fang with him, but I always refused. After my latest refusal, he went after the next best option, my children. He took Koutavi and Stene to do with them what he never could with me."

"WHAT?! He's your cousin?! But Adam told me his entire family was in the White Fang!"

"Well, Blake, that is what he truly wanted, but no, it was just him and his parents. My parents and I tended to stay as far away from them as we could once they joined the White Fang. But now I can no longer run. I must confront him if I am to have our children safely returned to us. And I will need all the help I can convoke to do so."

"Well, do we even know where this guy is?"

"I'm afraid not, Neptune. And I have no idea where to begin searching for him."

"I might have an idea on where to begin. Hey Blake, did this Adam guy ever mention some sort of secret hideout or something? Somewhere he could go to hide out and avoid the authorities?"

Could such a place exist? It does sound like something Adam would do. But where? Does it even exist?

"…Well, Povelitel, there was one place. He never took me there, but he talked about it a lot. It's called 'The Burrow'. He said it's where our leaders worked out of and where our biggest secrets were kept. Apparently, it's located somewhere deep in the heart of Mistral."

So, such a place does exist.

"Alright, so we just find this 'Burrow' place, maybe storm it with some cops, then find Ruby and Petey's kids."

"NO! Sun, that is the last thing we want to do! If Adam finds out we're after him, he'll only escape before we can even get to him, and he'll kill the kids before we can reach them."

* _Ruby cries harder_ *

Way to make my wife cry harder, Blake. Really nice.

"That was uncalled for, Blake."

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I'm sorry to you too, Ruby. But still, it's true. Adam isn't above killing his own soldiers if he thinks they'll cause problems for him. He may act like he cares about his underlings, but he really doesn't. Our only option is to sneak into the Burrow and find Koutavi and Stene before he knows we're there."

"You're… * _sniff_ * You're right, Blake. We have to find him so we can rescue my puppies. We leave tomorrow for Mistral. I just hope we're not too late."

* * *

* _the next day_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

"Alright, everyone, are we ready to go?"

"We're right behind you, Ruby. Let's go get your kids."

"Thanks, Yang. Dad, thanks again for agreeing to watch Cucciolo until we get back. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not, Ruby. I'm happy to help. I wish you the best of luck with finding Koutavi and Stene. I really hope you find them soon."

"Thanks, Dad. Bye-bye, Cucciolo. Be good for Grandpa Tai. I'll miss you so much, my sweet little puppy. I promise, Daddy and I will be back as soon as we can with your brother and sister."

At least, I hope we can. Where do we even begin looking for this 'Burrow' place? Well, let's get started.

"Oh, and Ruby…"

"Yes, Dad?"

"When you find this Adam guy, please give him a good slice to the face with your scythe for me."

Heh, same old Dad.

"Gladly."

* * *

* _in Mistral, one and a half days later_ *

Alright, we finally made it to Mistral. Step one is complete. Step two: find the Burrow. But where to begin? Maybe I should ask the experts.

"So, Petey, Blake, you guys know Adam best. Any idea where he would put a super-secret hideout type place?"

"I'm afraid not, Ruby. My cousin has always been something of an enigma to me. His motivations and activities have always eluded me. Then again, I did go to significant lengths to avoid him as much as possible."

"Adam only told me that the Burrow was in Mistral, he never mentioned exactly where. But, if I had to guess, I'd say we should start with the lower levels."

The lower levels? Why would Adam hide there? Why would he take my puppies there? What is he gonna do?

"Hmm, you may be correct, Blake. Everyone knows that the lower regions of Mistral is a breeding ground for the worst of humanity and Faunus kind alike. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We should begin there."

Oh yeah, Petey's right. Lower Mistral is where you can find lots of baddies. It would be a good place for someone like Adam to hide. Let's go.

* * *

* _later_ *

I hope that we can find this Burrow place soon. We've been searching for hours. Who knows what sort of awful things Adam is doing to my puppies even as we speak? Why were Petey and I not strong enough to protect them? Why didn't I just run away when all the fighting started? I could've escaped, especially with my semblance. I'm sure Petey could have escaped using his. Why didn't we?

"Ruby? Are you feeling well?"

"Huh? Oh, I-I'm fine, Petey."

"You can't fool us, Ruby. Speak what is on your mind. We're all more than happy to lend a sympathetic ear."

"Yeah, sis. Tell us what's up."

Well, maybe it will be good to let my feelings out.

"I-I just can't help but wonder why we couldn't do something to keep Koutavi and Stene safe. Why didn't we do more? Why didn't I just run away and keep them safe? Why didn't I just…? W-why didn't I…? * _sniff_ *"

"Calm yourself, Ruby. Rest assured you're not the only one wrestling with those kinds of morbid thoughts. I too, wish that at that moment, we had done more to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our children. However, what's done is done. We can no longer dwell on what could have been. We must now focus our resources on defeating Adam and rescuing our children."

He's right. I can't keep thinking about 'what ifs' or 'whys'. I have to concentrate on the here and now. And the here and now says I have to find the bad guys and deliver a whole bunch of butt kicking to all of them. Especially to Adam. When we find him, I'm gonna… Wait, what is Blake looking at?

"Blake? Is something wrong? What are you looking at?"

"Everyone, come look at this. See these three scratch marks? The White Fang used to use these as a way to indicate a base was nearby. I think the entrance to the Burrow might be near here. Let's head down this alley."

Oh my goodness! Have we finally found the Red Fang base? Have we found Adam? Have we found my puppies?! Where do we begin looking? What exactly are we looking for? Wait, who is that there?

"Hey guys, look there. It's a Faunus wearing a mask. It looks like he's guarding that manhole. Why would he be guarding a disgusting old sewer?"

"Perhaps it's actually the entrance to the Burrow. We best find out. Would someone take care of the guard?"

"I'm on it, ice queen."

I can always count on my big sister to take on the baddies. I wonder how she's gonna knock this guy out. Sneak attack from behind, maybe?

"Hey there!"

Uhh, I guess not.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?! What do you want, human?!"

"For you to be asleep for a little bit."

* **BANG** *

OUCH! That had to hurt. Well, at least we don't have to worry about him anymore. Now, let's go save my puppies! Let's see, is the entrance under the sewer? Why didn't we bring drilling materials with us? Maybe we could use our weapons to drill underneath all that icky sewage. Hopefully then we can reach the Burrow. First things first, let's get the lid off.

"Could someone please get the cover off?"

"I'm on it."

Wait a minute. This is a sewer pipe, which means when the cover comes off… Uh oh! I should have brought nose plugs!

* _cover comes off_ *

Ugh! Gross! It smells like death and nastiness and… and… Wait a minute, I don't actually smell anything. What gives?

"Why doesn't it smell like a sewer? I thought that manholes were covers for sewers."

"Normally, yes. But look here, Ruby."

"Wow, that's a deep latter."

"Yes, much deeper than that of the average sewer pipe. I believe that this may be the entrance to the Burrow. The manhole was merely a ruse. Now come, everyone, make haste. Our objective lies in whatever is at the end of this latter."

Petey's right. It's time we finished this. Down the latter we go!

* * *

* _at the bottom_ *

"Wow. So this is the Burrow."

"It would appear so, Ruby."

"Wait, so this place is just some massive underground fortress?"

"Well, Sun, burrows are just underground tunnels used by small animals as a dwelling, so yes."

Same cynical Blake. She'll never change. Not that I'm upset or anything. I like that all my friends have pretty much stayed the same since we met. Wait, I can't afford to be sentimental right now! I have to focus on finding my puppies and defeating Adam!

"Alright, everyone. Let's get moving. Leave no door unopened until we find both Adam and our puppies."

Ok, now if I were some sort of super evil Faunus terrorist, where would I hide two adorable babies in a large underground fortress? Let's see, maybe we should…

"Hey! Who are you guys?!"

Uh oh. Baddies incoming. I guess now is the time to fight and… Hey, what the…?! What is Petey doing?!

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

I sincerely hope this ruse works. I hope we can avoid conflict until we reach Adam.

"Sorry for the intrusion, sir, but my Cat and Monkey Faunus companions and I apprehended these humans just outside the entrance to our base. They were getting dangerously close to discovering our secrets. Fortunately, we managed to detain them."

"Uh… yeah! And now we're taking them… to imprison them… in prison… because they are prisoners."

Sun, you are an atrocious actor.

"I see. Well then, you have done your Red Fang brothers and sisters well. Resume your posts. My men and I shall escort these wretched humans to the detention area."

"A-actually, that's not necessary. We'll take them. If you could just point us in the right direction…"

Blake's acting will not be winning any awards, either. At least she's better than Sun, if only a little.

"Do you mean to disobey orders?"

"N-no, of course not. It's just… well…"

Think, Lucenay, THINK!

"We were told to deliver them to the detention area by Adam Taurus himself."

Good enough, I suppose.

"Hey, you know the rules! Since when are you simple soldiers able to refer to Brother Adam by his full name?"

"Oh, well, you see…"

"And where are your masks?!"

"Uhh…"

"INTRUDERS! We have intruders! Sound the alarm!"

So much for avoiding conflict.

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

All the Huntsmen and Huntress present drew their respective weapons and prepared to fight the Red Fang soldiers standing in front of them.

One of the soldiers ran to sound the alarm, but he was quickly incapacitated by a shot to the leg from Petey's rifle. Petey then turned his weapon around and struck another Red Fang soldier in the face with his flail. Another hit to the abdomen sent that soldier flying.

Petey then turned his attention to another Red Fang soldier. He swung his flail at his head multiple times until the soldier fell. Another soldier aimed at Petey with a rifle. Petey managed to knock the gun out of his enemy's hands before knocking him out with a hard swing to the chin with his flail.

"Anyone else want a good ass kicking?" Petey asked.

Rouge drew his claymore and swung at an incoming Red Fang soldier with a sword, easily knocking the smaller weapon out of the Beaver Faunus' hands. Rouge then swung at his opponent again, sending him to the ground, never to get up again. Another Red Fang soldier approached Rouge and engaged him in battle. The two traded many sword swings until Rouge managed to create an opening. He then thrust his large sword into his opponent's chest.

Sun hit an enemy in the stomach with his staff, before swinging it under his opponent's feet. He then brought the staff down on the Red Fang soldier's face, firing a shot off with it. Sun then split his staff in two, forming them into his signature gun-chucks. He leapt at another Red Fang soldier and hit him upside the head with both of his gun-chucks. While the soldier was still reeling from the attack, Sun repeatedly shot at his opponent with his guns, while simultaneously striking him with his nun-chucks. Eventually the soldier fell after two hard hits to the face.

Neptune had his hands full with a Duck Faunus soldier. The Red Fang soldier was trying to attack the blue haired Huntsman with a sword, but Neptune managed to block each sword swing with his trident. Fortunately for Neptune, his enemy's blade got caught between two of the trident's blades, and Neptune was easily able to flick the weapon out of the Duck Faunus' hands. He then thrust his trident into his enemy's stomach, sending several painful volts of electricity through the body of the Red Fang soldier. Neptune repeated this process until his opponent fell to the ground and stopped moving. Neptune then engaged a Squirrel Faunus soldier. He knocked his enemy's rifle out of his hands with his trident. With a quick spin, Neptune hit his enemy in the head with his trident, making the Faunus fall to the ground. Neptune then hit his fallen foe with his weapon, sending several volts of electricity through the Squirrel Faunus.

A Red Fang soldier raised his rifle at Povelitel, but he managed to dodge and then used his chainsaw-like sword to cut his opponent's rifle in two with one clean swipe. Another swing from his large sword put the enemy soldier down, for good. Another one charged at him with a sword, but Povelitel simply pulled a gun out of his sword's hilt and shot several bullets into his enemy's chest. After the last bullet had been fired, the Red Fang soldier stopped running, and simply stood there. A few seconds later, he collapsed.

Yang fired her Ember Celica into the ground and launched herself at an incoming enemy. She punched him right in the face with enough force to launch him across the room until he hit the wall. Another one came at her with a sword, but she intercepted his attack and sent several quick punches his way. Then she jumped in the air, and on the way down, she connected her fist with her enemy's face. The Red Fang soldier was immediately thrown into the ground.

Blake was dodging a Red Fang soldier using a combination of her ninja skills and her semblance. Eventually, she parried one of her enemy's attacks and slashed him with her sword multiple times. Another soldier came charging at her, but she simply threw her weapon at him. It got lodged into the enemy's shoulder. Blake then gave her weapon's ribbon a hard tug, pulling the Red Fang soldier to her feet. Blake then delivered a roundhouse kick to her opponent's face, knocking him out.

Weiss was currently facing an intimidating Bear Faunus in front of her. To deal with him, she stuck her elegant rapier into the ground, summoning two of her signature glyphs. One of them appeared just under her sword, and the other appeared a few feet away from the first. A white furred Beowolf appeared out the second glyph. The Beowolf began attacking the Bear Faunus, and after a short battle, managed to overpower the Red Fang soldier and defeat him. Another Red Fang soldier came charging at the white-haired Huntress, but she used some Ice Dust to freeze her enemy in place. Weiss then charged forward with her sword, shattering the ice upon contact and sending her opponent flying backwards.

Ruby swung her massive scythe at an oncoming enemy, slicing him in the chest. She then sent another hard swing to his head. When another one came charging at her, Ruby used her semblance and began charging at him. She turned into a flurry of rose petals as she was running at her enemy. When she was right in front of the Red Fang soldier, the petal flurry split in 4, with each flurry going behind the enemy soldier. They then reformed into a single rose petal flurry before Ruby popped out of the flurry and jammed her scythe into her opponent's back. With the scythe still his back, the Red Fang soldier fell. Ruby, with her scythe still in her fallen enemy's spine, twisted her scythe to a new angle to shoot a few rounds from her sniper rifle at an oncoming Alligator Faunus. The enemy Faunus fell before it could even reach Ruby. She then turned her attention to the leader of this particular band of soldiers. He was attempting to attack Petey from behind, but Ruby ran to the defense of her husband. She blocked her enemy's weapon from connecting with Petey's back with her large scythe. She then knocked the weapon from her opponent's hands before slicing him in the chest with her own weapon. The enemy commander fell as Ruby looked down on him.

"I'm gonna ask you this only once. Where are my babies? Where are those two babies they brought in a few days ago?" Ruby asked, trying to be intimidating.

The Red Fang soldier before her only shot her a dirty look before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"We should continue onwards. There will likely be more soldiers throughout the base." Petey suggested.

The others nodded and pressed forward.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Alright, which way should we go? Hmm… Well, I think that left will lead to more rooms throughout the Burrow, so let's try that way.

"Let's try going down this way."

"If you believe that this is the way to go, then I am behind you, Ruby. Let's go."

Wow, this place is a lot bigger than I thought. Are we ever going to be able to find my puppies or Adam in this big underground maze? Where do we even begin? Maybe we should try splitting up. No, that's probably a bad idea. What if we were to find Adam? He's too dangerous for any one of us to take on alone. It's probably going to take all of us to take him on. I just hope it's enough. Petey and Blake make this guy sound super tough and scary.

I wonder what kind of horrible things Adam is doing to my puppies right now. I really hope they're ok. Maybe because Koutavi and Stene are babies, he'll at least go a little easy on them. I don't want them to be all beat up and near death when we find them.

"Ruby, you have that distracted look in your eyes again. Is something troubling you?"

"Well, I'm just worried about Koutavi and Stene. Where could they be? Are they alright? Petey, Blake, what are the odds that Adam will go easy on them? I mean, they're just babies. Only a complete monster would hurt a baby, right?"

"… I-I'm afraid there's not much hope for them being in good condition once we find them. Adam is ruthless. It doesn't matter how old they are, he'll just keep hurting people until they do what he wants. You should have seen me after a lot of our sparring matches once I joined the White Fang."

"I'm afraid Blake is right, Ruby. My cousin is a horrendous individual. Like she said, he'll harm anyone until they comply with his bidding. If memory serves, when I was only four years old, he nearly broke my arm all because I wouldn't play some sort of twisted game with him on the playground. He likely would have succeeded had my mother not intervened when she did. He is the complete monster of which you speak, Ruby. The one who would inflict severe physical harm on mere infants. We can only hope it's not too severe once we find them."

Oh no! My sweet babies! What is he doing to them?! Why would we do such things to them? Please, great Monty, let my puppies be alright once we find them.

"Wait!"

Wait? What does Petey mean, 'wait'? Does he hear something?

"Quick! In here! Someone's coming!"

Uh oh! We gotta hide! I hope this room can fit all of us.

Huh, what kind of a room is this? Why are there so many television screens in here? What are they showing? It doesn't really look like anything I've ever seen on TV. What kinds of shows are these? They're just showing a bunch of hallways and rooms.

"What is this place?"

"It appears to be some sort of surveillance room. All these screens appear to be monitoring several different areas of this base."

Wow. Wait, monitoring the base? Could it be possible…?

"Everyone, look at the screens. Tell me if you see either my puppies or Adam."

I hope they show up. The sooner we find Koutavi and Stene and defeat Adam, the better. Where in this place could they be?

"I apologize, Ruby, but I see neither my cousin nor our children on any of these monitors."

Dang it! Where are they? This place can't be too big. Where could they possibly be hiding? Where are…? Hmm, what are these things?

"Does anyone know what these things here are?"

"Hmm, they appear to be some sort of communication devices. With these, we could possibly speak and listen to each other over long distances. Say, I just had a glorious idea. I believe we should split into different directions and search the base for the children and Adam. We shall use these devices to keep in contact with each other using these devices."

Wait, I thought I said splitting up was a bad idea. Did I say that? Maybe I only said it in my head.

"I'm not sure we should split up, Petey. What if one of us comes across Adam? I thought the reason you asked for all of us to come down here was because Adam was too dangerous to fight alone."

"I did say that, didn't I? However, this is where these devices come into play. Should any of you encounter Adam, do not engage him in combat if it can be avoided. Simply tell the rest of us where he is, and we shall rendezvous with you and take him down together. Rouge, I would like you to stay here and monitor the area using these screens. Report to us should you see or hear anything of note."

"I'm on it, Petey."

"Excellent. Everyone else, keep your eyes open for my children and that horrid scoundrel, Adam. And one last thing, may the great Monty Oum be with you."

Alright, let's do this. Time to find my puppies. Monty, please help me.

* * *

* _an hour later_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

How is it that a full hour has passed us by and not one of the innocent souls that descended into the Burrow with Ruby and myself have made any significant progress toward locating Koutavi, Stene, or Adam? How big is this underground fortress that we still haven't found any worthwhile evidence on the locations of those we seek? Perhaps I should check up on them. Let's hope these communication devices function properly.

"Attention, everyone, this is Petey. Has anyone found anything of note as of yet?"

" _I'm afraid Sun and I have found nothing worthwhile. Sorry, Petey._ "

" _Hey, don't worry, Blake. I'm sure we'll find something soon. We'll keep you posted, Petey._ "

How someone as optimistic and laid back as Sun became attracted to someone so serious and stoic as Blake is beyond me. I guess it's true when they say opposites attract. No matter, I must check upon the others.

"Yang? Povelitel? Any success on your part?"

" _Afraid not. Sorry, man. But we'll keep looking._ "

" _That's the spirit, Pov. We're not giving up!_ "

Charming as ever. At least they possess some positivity that our mission will prove to be a success. I pray that it does. Now then, how does the head of the Schnee Dust Company and her husband fare in this endeavor?

"And how do you fare, Weiss? Neptune?"

" _Sadly, we haven't made any progress in finding your children or Adam._ "

"Really? None at all?"

" _That's a big negatory, good buddy._ "

" _Neptune, shut up! No one talks like that anymore._ "

" _Oh, what do you know, Sun?_ "

" _More than you, you stupid nerd. That's why I was chosen as leader of our team. Well that, and the fact that I can, I don't know, SWIM!_ "

Really? Neptune is unable to swim? That must be embarrassing.

" _You swore never to mention that to anyone! And I told you, it's 'intellectual', not 'nerd'!_ "

" _Could you two dorks shut up and focus on finding my sister's babies?_ "

" _Stay out of this, Yang!_ "

"Hey! Don't you dare talk to my sister like that! It's not nice!"

It sure is surprising whenever Ruby raises her voice in such a dramatic fashion. She's rarely the kind to yell at others for their faults. Still, if she's defending the honor of her sister, I should not be surprised that she would use such a stentorian tone of voice. I truly do love it when she gets authoritative.

" _You all need to shut up! Your screaming has let a lot Red Fang soldiers that we're here! Keep this up, and we won't need to find Adam, he'll find us. And we'll all be dead before we can run a step in the opposite direction._ "

Wow, I never expected Rouge to be the voice of reason in any given scenario. However, he is correct. This bickering will only be our downfall. I can only hope that Adam remains unaware of our presence.

" _Blake, Sun. There are five of them coming at you from behind. Yang, Povelitel. There are three of them right around your corner._ "

Only that many? Either Adam remains unaware of our presence, or he grievously underestimates our prowess. I fervently hope it is the former. Adam is not the sort to make such a gross miscalculation.

"Rouge, do you see anything else? Any trace of Adam or my children?"

" _No, still nothing. All I see right now are a few Red Fang soldiers approaching the surveillance room I'm in. Please excuse me a few moments while I take care of them._ "

"Darn it! Petey, I'm beginning to get worried that we'll never find our puppies at this rate. What if we're already too late? W-what if…?"

"Please, do not say such things, Ruby. It's not in your nature to take on the persona of a pessimist. I promise you, we will find them, and we will bring them back alive. Now please, I would prefer to see your usual cheerful and upbeat attitude. And I know that Koutavi and Stene will be elated to see that attitude as well once we rescue them. Cucciolo as well once we return home with her brother and sister."

"You're right, Petey. I don't know what I was thinking. We will find them, I know it. Thanks for the encouragement, Petey."

"Not a problem at all, my darling."

I'm so pleased that my beloved wife is able to lean on me for support when necessary. It provides me with great solace to be able to dispense never ending support to Ruby. It makes me feel better as well.

" _Hey lovebirds, I hate to break up your lovey-dovey crap, but I have some information you might want to hear._ "

Leave it to Rouge to ruin a perfectly tender moment in my wife's loving embrace. Thanks a lot.

" _I managed to get one of the goons I beat up to talk, and he said something about two babies being held somewhere on the west side of the base. Whoever's closest to the west side, get a move on!_ "

" _We're on it!_ "

Oh my goodness! Is it possible?! Is our search coming to end?!

"Petey, where in the base are we?"

"Let's see…"

We took a left out of the entrance, then headed due north, then we took another left, then…

"I believe the west end is not too far off from our present location. We should make haste, Ruby."

"Let's see if we can take a shortcut through this room here."

"A novel suggestion, my dear."

" _Petey, wait. I think I see something. Is that…? Oh n… …top! … Wai…_ "

"Rouge? Rouge, I cannot hear you. Speak up. Are you there?"

" _Pete… …on't go… … in ther… Sto… … no…... ... ... ... ..._ "

"Rouge?! Rouge! Are you there? Is anyone there?!"

Curious. These communication devices appeared to be state of the art. Why have they suddenly ceased functioning? Is there something wrong with them? Perhaps a shoddy design?

"What happened, Petey?"

"I do not know, Ruby. the devices have somehow been shut off."

"That's weird. Anyway, should we get moving?"

"Indeed."

I wonder what information Rouge was attempting to relay to me. No matter, I must focus on locating my children.

Wow, it's rather dark in this room. I wonder where the light switch is. Hold on, I hear breathing, and it's not Ruby's. Is there someone else in here with us?

Wait a minute.

* _lights flash on_ *

OW! Oh, gracious, that's bright! Who turned on these glaring lights?

"So, you finally made it. Hello, dear cousin."

Oh no. Oh no! I-It's him! It's him! It's…!

"Adam!"

* * *

 **Well, that's over with, I guess.**

 **Alright, I'm going to just say it now, this wasn't a very strong chapter. I know it. But then again, I didn't really mean for it to be. Much like chapter 17, this was mostly a filler chapter. Just a bit of build up for the epic fight with Adam that will be going down in the next chapter. So, yeah, I wasn't really using my "A" material when writing this chapter. I'm saving that for the next chapter. This was more like my… "B+" material. (Yeah, let's go with that)**

 **Despite that, tell me, did you, at the very least, find some enjoyment here? I hope so. Either way, whatever. Like I said, this wasn't exactly my best work. I mostly just want to get the next chapter started. However, I'll still be very unhappy with unnecessarily rude comments.**

 **Not very sure when my next update will be, but I'll get it out as soon as I can. I sincerely hope you enjoy the next chapter, because the next chapter will be the last.**

 **That's right, folks. This story's finally coming to an end! I've got quite a conclusion planned, so stay tuned.**

 **Until the finale, so long, faithful readers!**


	20. The Final Battle

**It's here. It's here! The grand finale is finally here!**

 **I did it, I finally did it. I finally made it to the end! When I started this story, the scars from Volume 3 were still fresh on everyone's mind. And now, only now, on the eve of Volume 5, am I done. This took a hell of a lot longer to finish than I initially thought. I'll be honest, when I started this story, I thought I'd have it done in just a couple months, just like my last story. Oh well. Actually, I'm kind of glad it got spaced out like it did. It led to nearly twice as many favorites, follows, and reviews than my last story got.**

 **Speaking of, before we begin, I want to give a big thanks to all of you who have read my great story. And an extra special thanks to those of you who favorited, followed, and left (positive) reviews.**

 **Well, with all of that out of the way, the time is now to get it started. So go grab a snack, use the restroom if you have to. Sit your butts down and prepare for the dramatic conclusion of _Dogs and Roses_!**

 **RWBY © Rooster Teeth/Monty Oum (R.I.P)**

* * *

* _immediately after the last chapter_ *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* * *

Great Monty, what do I do now? I-I cannot move. What should I do?

"What's the matter, Petey? Can't face me? You made it this far, didn't you? I shouldn't be surprised someone as smart as you managed to find me. What brings you down here, anyway? Have you finally decided to join our cause?"

Focus, Petey! Do not let Adam intimidate you.

"I believe you know exactly the reason we have ventured down to this wretched place. Where are they? Where did you put my children?"

"I was hoping to raise them to become strong warriors that will bring about an end to those pathetic humans, instead of weaklings like you, like those friends of yours you brought."

What?! He knew all along?! But…how?!

"Is this what has become of you, cousin? A sloppy amateur? You didn't think we have more surveillance posts? You didn't think we could jam your transmissions? You didn't think I have others waiting throughout the Burrow, ready to ambush and kill your friends at each turn?"

So that's what happened to our devices! He jammed them! Wait, what did he say about my friends? Ambush? Oh no! Are we too late?!

"Don't underestimate our friends, Adam! They're stronger than you and your stupid followers! Now answer us, where are they?!"

Ruby is correct. It was wrong of me to immediately assume the worst. They are all so much stronger than that.

"Big words from such a pathetic little girl. This is a new low for you, Petey. Mating with a human. Do you enjoy disgracing your bloodline like this?"

What?! How dare he!

"You're the disgrace, Taurus! You were the one who put innocent blood on your hands and bathed in it! I know for a fact that grandmother would be ashamed of the wretched beast you have become."

"Tell that to the humans who murdered her for trying to help another Faunus being beat by those horrid bigots. I know for a fact that she would have wanted for us to work as a family to make the world a better place."

"Not like this, Adam. This is far from the kind of world grandmother would have wanted for future generations."

"I _will_ have my family by my side when I purge the world of the human curse. I will have you in the Red Fang before this day is over."

"You're a madman if you think I'd ever willingly join your putrid cause and help you annihilate all that we have worked to restore since the second Great War ended. If you think I'll allow you to raise my children in this destructive dystopia you're attempting to build, you're insane. Now this is your final chance. Tell us where Koutavi and Stene are and perhaps I'll see that you elude the death penalty in the courts. A penalty you will most surely receive otherwise upon your capture."

"So those are their names, then? I should have guessed. A shame they had to be given those names by a traitor like you."

I suppose there's no point in wasting my sympathy on the devil.

"Now this is _your_ final chance, Petey. Join me. You and I will build a new world atop the ashes of this human dominated world once our glorious revolution begins."

"Never!"

Wait, why is he staring at Ruby? Oh great Oum, no!

"Very well, then I will destroy this human infested world by myself, and she will be the first to burn."

* * *

* _third person P.O.V_ *

Adam drew his sword out of its sheath and pointed his gun at Ruby, then he fired. Ruby quickly unfurled her scythe and blocked Adam's bullet.

Ruby then charged at Adam using her semblance. Once she got close to him, she swung her massive scythe at him. But he effortlessly managed to block her attack with his sword. They traded several blows before Adam managed to push Ruby back with a powerful swing of his sword.

Petey then used his own semblance to leap toward Adam and join the battle. As he was in the air, he grabbed his flail off of his back and prepared to bring it down on Adam. Unfortunately, Adam saw the attack coming and sidestepped out of the way. Petey's flail struck the ground, having missed its target. Petey pulled his flail from the ground, and continued his assault on Adam.

He swung his flail again, this time aiming for his cousin's face. Adam managed to block the attack by striking the spiked end of the flail with his sword. Ruby then swung her scythe at him, aiming for his back. Without missing a beat, Adam blocked that attack with the same sword swing that had blocked Petey's attack.

Ruby raised her scythe upward and prepared to bring it down on Adam's head, but it was stopped by Adam's red blade. Using his superior strength, Adam began pushing the scythe blade further away from him.

While Adam was in a blade lock with Ruby, Petey raised his flail and prepared for another hit against his cousin. But just as he jumped up to strike Adam, the Bull Faunus broke his blade lock with Ruby and spun around to intercept his cousin. Before Petey could swing his flail forward, Adam kicked him in the ribs, sending him off to the side.

"Is this really all you can muster against me?" Adam asked his opponents.

Petey then got up and aimed his rifle at Adam and fired. Adam's sword began to glow and his blade began to absorb the bullets.

"Uh oh." Petey said, having completely forgotten about his cousin's semblance.

Adam made his way toward Petey, preparing to strike him down, but Ruby came up behind him and swung her scythe at his back. Adam fell to the ground as Ruby stood over him. She prepared to bring her scythe down on him again, but Adam rolled out of the way and shot his gun at her. She fell back as Adam got up.

Petey used his semblance to jump over Adam's head and stood between him and Ruby. He swung his flail at Adam, who stepped back to avoid the swing.

"You will not lay a single finger on her as long as I stand, you son of a bitch!" Petey snarled.

Petey swung his flail at Adam again, but he blocked the attack by Adam's sword. Petey swung again, but Adam parried the attack, knocking the flail away and leaving Petey wide open. Adam prepared to strike down his cousin while he could, but Ruby ran between them and stopped Adam's blade with her scythe.

"And I won't let you touch him as long as I'm still on my feet!" Ruby shouted at Adam.

Adam responded by pointing his large gun at Ruby and firing it. Ruby quickly broke her blade lock with Adam to deflect his bullet. The Bull Faunus took advantage of her distraction and swung his sword at her feet, causing her to fall to the ground. Petey attempted to strike him again, but Adam hit him to the ground as well by kicking him in the knees.

Adam turned to Petey and prepared to finish him off, but a kick to his back stopped him. Adam turned and saw Ruby standing, ready to face him again. He turned again, seeing Petey in a similar position.

Petey attacked first, swinging his flail at his evil cousin. However, Adam sidestepped the attack and countered with a sword swing to his back. Petey was knocked back into the wall. Ruby ran forward and attacked Adam, who effortlessly blocked her attacks.

Petey got up and saw Ruby battling Adam. He felt that his back was against the wall, and instantly, a plan began to form in his head.

"Ruby, push him back and create an opening for me!" Petey shouted at his wife.

Ruby looked at him and nodded, then got back to fighting Adam. Adam shot a few rounds from his gun at her, but she deflected them with her scythe. She then went on the offensive, using her scythe's long reach to keep Adam at bay. The two of them exchanged many blows, with Ruby steadily pushing the Bull Faunus backward. The two then got into another blade lock. While Adam was trying to push Ruby down, she fired off a few rounds from her sniper rifle into the ceiling. This distracted Adam, who looked at where she shot at. Ruby then broke their blade lock, and swung her scythe at Adam's sword. The red blade was nearly knocked from Adam's hand and left him wide open.

Petey had been watching his wife and cousin fight, and when Ruby created the opening, he made his move.

He used his semblance to backflip and put his feet on the wall. He quickly used his semblance again to launch himself off the wall and toward Adam. He then grabbed Adam and the two flew across the large room until they collided with the opposite wall. Both men dropped their weapons as they fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Ultimately, Petey recovered first. He ran over to Adam, jumped on top of him, and began punching him in the face repeatedly.

"This. Is what. You get. For taking. My. Children. And making. My. Wife. Cry. You. Oum. Damn. Asshole!" Petey yelled with each punch to Adam's face.

However, once Petey finished speaking, Adam grabbed his cousin's wrist, then threw Petey off of him. Adam got up, cracked his own neck, and prepared to keep fighting.

Both Huntsman and terrorist picked up their weapons and ran at each other. Adam raised his sword to strike Petey, but Ruby then jumped in between them and deflected Adam's blade with Crescent Rose.

"I won't let you hurt him! Not him or anyone else! You won't hurt anyone ever again!" Ruby shouted.

"Yes, I will." Adam retorted.

Adam swung his red blade at Ruby again and nearly knocked the weapon from her hands. Petey then jumped behind his cousin and attempted to hit him in the back, but Adam sent a roundhouse kick to Petey's ribcage, sending the Dog Faunus off to the side.

As Petey groaned in pain, Adam was about to finish him off, but Ruby got between them and stopped Adam's blade with her own. Adam tried to hit Ruby with his sword, but Ruby repeatedly twirled her scythe around her to block his attacks. Eventually she managed to parry one of his attacks and leave him open. She used this opening to slash Adam in the face with her scythe, knocking him back.

"That was from my dad." Ruby said smugly.

Adam recovered from the attack and glared angrily at the red clad Huntress. He approached her again, ready to kill her, but Petey intervened. He used his semblance to jump toward Adam, rearing his flail up for a strike, but Adam intercepted his attack and struck Petey in the leg. The Dog Faunus fell to the ground and groaned in pain.

Adam returned his attention to Ruby, who rushed him with her semblance. She pushed him back as their blades connected once again. Adam then pushed her blade to the side and kneed her in the stomach. She doubled over in pain and fell to the ground.

Adam pointed his rifle at Ruby's head and prepared to finish her off, but a scream from behind him distracted him. The Bull Faunus turned around only to be greeted by a flail strike to the side. He grunted in pain as he backed away from Ruby.

"If you so much as spill a single drop of her blood, I'll rip all your internal organs out with my flail, you ugly, bull faced twat!" Petey growled.

Adam got up and prepared to continue attacking the Huntsman and Huntress duo. He swung his red blade at the two of them, but they jumped back. Ruby ran forward and prepared to swing her scythe at the Faunus terrorist, but Adam pointed his rifle at her and fired, forcing her on the defensive.

He fired a few more rounds at her and she continued to block them with her scythe. Adam slowly got closer to her until he swung his sword at her feet, knocking her to the ground. Adam raised his sword and prepared to stab her in the chest. But at that moment, Petey jumped in and knocked his cousin's sword away from his wife.

"Are you deaf, you wretched whelp of a man?! I said if you touch her, I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SCUM SUCKING SON OF A WHORE!" Petey shouted.

Petey swung his flail at Adam, forcing him backward. The Dog Faunus continued his furious assault while Ruby slowly rose to her feet.

She saw her husband and her enemy fighting intensely, and decided to help out. She planted her scythe in the ground. She then pulled out a clip filled with Lightning Dust bullets and loaded it into her Crescent Rose's chamber. She then pointed her sniper rifle at the two dueling men and waited for a good opening, not wanting to hit Petey by mistake.

Petey and Adam were still going at it intensely. The two exchanged several weapon blows until Adam managed to parry an attack that Petey had aimed at his head. Adam then smacked Petey in the face with the blunt end of his rifle. Petey fell to the ground as Adam stood over him.

Ruby saw her opening and took aim at the back of Adam's head. She cocked her gun back and prepared to fire. Petey looked behind Adam and saw Ruby preparing to fire. He saw the kind of bullets she was about to fire, and remembering Adam's semblance, began to panic.

"Ruby, stop! Hold your fire!" He shouted.

But it was too late. Ruby fired her electric bullet at Adam. But with lightning reflexes, Adam spun around as his hair, mask, sword, and red markings of his coat began to glow. His semblance absorbed Ruby's powerful bullet. Ruby was shocked that her attack had no effect on Adam and continued to fire Lightning Dust rounds at him. His semblance simply absorbed every blast until her chamber was empty.

Petey used Adam's distraction to his advantage, and swung his flail at the Bull Faunus' feet, knocking him to the ground. Petey then kicked Adam in the head before using his semblance to jump over to Ruby.

"What did you do that for, Ruby?!" Petey screamed.

"What did I do?" Ruby asked.

"You just charged up his semblance!" The Dog Faunus shouted.

"What?! Well, what exactly is his semblance?" Ruby asked.

"He absorbs power with his sword and cuts through his opponent with countered force. He's used it to disintegrate robots five times his size with a single swipe." Petey explained.

"Well why didn't you say so before?!" Ruby shouted.

"I did say so before! On the way to Mistral!" Petey countered.

Before their argument could continue, Adam appeared and brought his sword down on the two of them. Both managed to jump out of the way, but just barely. They raised their weapons and prepared to continue fighting.

Petey swung his flail at the evil Bull Faunus, who effortlessly dodged the attack. Ruby then swung her own weapon at Adam, but he blocked it with his blade. He managed to push Ruby off of him and send her stumbling backwards. Petey swung at his cousin again, but Adam effortlessly dodged that attack as well. But at that moment, Ruby swung at him again, this time aiming for the Bull Faunus' legs. The attack hit, and Adam fell to the ground. Petey stood over him, ready to strike him down.

"Alright then, ENJOY DEATH!" Petey shouted.

Petey brought his flail down on Adam, but Adam held up his sword in defense. The flail's chain wrapped around the red blade. The two men struggled to untangle their weapons before Petey spoke again.

"Don't you ever give up?!" The Dog Faunus screamed.

"Never." Was Adam's response.

Adam then kicked his cousin in the side, causing the Dog Faunus to drop his weapon and drop to the ground. Adam then separated their weapons and walked toward Petey. He reloaded his rifle and prepared to finish the Huntsman off.

Ruby approached Adam and attempted to stand between the terrorist and her cousin, but he quickly managed to point his rifle at her and fired. The red hooded Huntress dodged the blast, but just barely. Adam kept shooting at Ruby until he was right in front of her. The two swung their respective weapons at each other, and their blades clashed.

As his wife and cousin exchanged blows, Petey prepared to jump back into the fight. He grabbed his weapon and made his way toward Ruby and Adam. With an angry war cry, the Dog Faunus prepared to hit his cousin with his flail. Adam broke his clash with Ruby and turned to face Petey. Petey swung his flail at Adam, but the attack was parried by Adam's red blade. Both Ruby and Petey swung their weapons at Adam, but he blocked both attacks with his sword.

"Is this the best you can do? Pathetic." Adam stated.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Petey screamed.

The angry Dog Faunus again charged at Adam. He reared his flail back for a strike, and delivered the blow. However, Adam blocked the attack with his sword, and delivered a counterattack to his cousin. But right then, Ruby tried to bring a blow down on Adam. However, Adam once again managed to block her attack with his red sword. He then sent a spinning kick to her ribs, sending her flying off to the side.

Petey grew even angrier at seeing his wife get hurt like that. He angrily charged at Adam once again, trying to bring his cousin down. He swung furiously, but Adam deflected every blow.

" **I'LL GUT YOU LIKE A FISH** , **YOU OUMDAMN BASTARD! DIE, DIE, _DIE!_** " The Dog Faunus screamed.

He continued wailing on Adam, but Adam kept blocking each blow from Petey's flail. However, Ruby joined in and brought her scythe upon Adam. He managed to hold the couple off, but Ruby got lucky and swiped his leg, forcing him down on one knee. Adam got angry at this, and rose to his feet to confront Ruby. After blocking another strike from Petey, He brought his sword down on Ruby. She blocked it with her scythe, but Adam retaliated by hitting her in the head with the butt end of his rifle then kicking her to the ground.

"No more games." Adam stated as he looked down on Ruby.

But before he could finish here off, Petey used his semblance to jump between his wife and cousin. He knocked Adam's sword away from Ruby with his flail, then kept swiping his flail at the Bull Faunus, forcing him on the defensive and keeping him away from Ruby.

"DIE, DAMN YOU! WHY WON'T YOU **DIE!** " Petey shouted.

Petey continued swinging his flail at the Bull Faunus. Petey swung his flail at Adam, and it wrapped around his sword again. Petey then put his hand around Adam's throat and squeezed hard. However, Adam managed to pry Petey's hand off of his neck, then pushed him back by smacking the Dog Faunus in the face with his rifle.

Right then, Ruby got up, grabbed her weapon, and re-entered the fight. She used her semblance to run up behind Adam while he and Petey were fighting. Petey kept trying to land a decent hit on Adam, but his defenses were too strong. However, just as Adam parried one of Petey's attacks and was about to strike back, Ruby slashed her scythe at Adam's back. Adam grunted in pain, and Petey took advantage of his distraction. He stuck the Bull Faunus square in the face with his flail.

Adam fell to the ground as Ruby and Petey stood over him. His mask was severely cracked, but was still on his face. Adam then rubbed his face at the spot that Petey had hit him in. But when he did, his mask completely shattered and fell off of his face. Ruby was surprised to see that he had the same brown eyes as Petey. She was expecting a much scarier and evil looking eye color from him.

"So, this is the true face of a monster, is it? Your eyes are as wretched and hate filled as the last time I saw them, all those years ago." Petey said.

Adam quickly got up, grabbed his weapons, and glared at the Huntsman and Huntress duo with anger in his eyes. He immediately resumed attacking them.

He swung his sword at Ruby, and shot at Petey with his rifle. The two of them jumped back to avoid the evil Bull Faunus' assaults. The couple then ran forward to attack the leader of the Red Fang. Ruby used her semblance to run behind Adam and strike him. However, Adam managed to block her blow. Petey then used his semblance to leap toward Adam and bring his flail down on the terrorist's head. Adam sidestepped the attack and counterattacked by kicking Petey in the ribs, sending the Dog Faunus off to the side.

Ruby used her semblance to hit Adam once again while his back was turned. She ran right into him and they both fell to the ground. The two of them got up, grabbed their weapons, and clashed. As their blades were locked with each other, Adam pointed his gun at Ruby and prepared to fire. She saw this and quickly managed to evade his bullet. She broke the blade lock and stepped back. Adam kept firing at her, and she dodged each blast with her scythe.

Petey then distracted Adam by coming up behind him and attempted to strike him again. But Adam parried his attack by shooting at the Dog Faunus before the flail could hit him. Petey was forced on the defensive until Ruby came in and began attacking Adam again with a scythe swing to the legs. Adam jumped over the attack and began attacking Ruby once again. His blade met hers once again as he unleashed a series of strikes upon her. Ruby managed to dodge each blow, but only barely. However, Ruby eventually managed to parry one of his attacks, and went on the offensive once again. She raised her scythe and brought it down on Adam, but he used his own blade to knock hers out of his way. The red clad Huntress pulled her large weapon out of the ground and swung it at the Bull Faunus once again.

Petey prepared another strike, this time aimed at Adam's head. While his cousin was distracted with Ruby, Petey swung his flail. However, Adam intercepted the attack mid swing with a slash from his own weapon. Adam's sword hit the chain connecting the spiked end of the flail to the staff of the weapon, and severed the chain. The spiked end fell off and landed at Adam's feet. The Bull Faunus immediately kicked it away so Petey could not use it.

"No!" The Dog Faunus exclaimed as he watched his weapon get destroyed.

Petey quickly turned the staff around and aimed his rifle at Adam. But before he could fire, Adam hit the weapon again with a swift swing of his red sword. Petey's rifle was immediately cut in two, rendering it completely useless. Another sword swing got Petey in the chest, sending him to the ground and depleting what was left of his Aura.

Adam then raised his weapon and prepared to bring it down on his helpless cousin. But as he brought is down, a scythe blade immediately came between Petey and the sword.

Ruby pushed her enemy's weapon away from her husband and began fighting him personally. She exchanged several weapon swings with Adam before their blades locked.

"Where are my babies?!" Ruby forcefully asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Adam replied, standing intimidatingly over her.

Adam then broke their blade lock by sending a hard kick to Ruby's stomach. She dropped her scythe and fell back. Adam then aimed his gun at her then fired. But right as he fired, a flurry of rose petals appeared where Ruby was. The flurry disappeared faster than Adam could track. Adam then looked to where his opponent's scythe had fallen, only to notice that it had vanished as well. He began looking around for Ruby, but couldn't find her. He then turned around, only to see the rose petal flurry coming at him. Before he had a chance to react, the petal flurry swung a scythe at him, knocking him to the ground.

As Adam was slowly getting up, he looked around for the petal flurry, but again couldn't see it until it began charging at him again. He tried to grab his sword, but Ruby was too fast. She swung her scythe at him again, knocking him down on his ass before running around the room again, preparing for another strike. Adam started to get up again, but Ruby struck him again, sending him back to the ground before running off to do it again.

Ruby repeated his process several times, constantly knocking Adam around before he could counterattack. Eventually, his Aura began to flicker.

But Adam was smart. He had noticed a pattern with her strikes. After another strike, he predicted where she would come at him next and prepared his semblance. His hair and his sword began to glow as he got up as best he could. When the rose petal flurry came at him again, he drew his sword.

* _SWISH_ *

He swung his sword at the petal flurry as it passed him. As she passed him, Ruby felt something different. Crescent Rose instantly fell to pieces in her hands before completely disintegrating. The sudden shift in weight caused the petal flurry that was Ruby to stumble forward, before landing on the ground and rolling to a stop. Once she stopped, the rose petals disappeared and Ruby reappeared.

Adam got up and slowly made his way toward Ruby. She slowly got to her feet as well, but didn't notice Adam until he was right in front of her.

Adam proceeded to punch Ruby in the face, making her stumble backward. He approached her again and pressed his gun up against her stomach. He then fired, sending her flying back several feet and depleting the last of her Aura. As she slowly got to her feet, Adam approached her from behind. He then thrust his sword into the back of her knee.

Ruby screamed in pain as she saw the red blade emerge from her kneecap. Blood began spouting out of the wound as Adam retracted his sword, allowing more blood to flow. She fell to her knees as she clutched her open wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. Adam then grabbed her hair and pulled back, forcing her head backward as he put his blade to her throat. He then turned to look right at Petey, who was looking on in horror as Adam stood ready to kill his wife.

At that instant, all the remaining Red Fang soldiers, approximately 50 in all, entered the large room, ready to assist Adam. They all pointed their weapons at either Ruby or Petey.

"Look at this, Petey, Look at what I must do to make a better world. Isn't it beautiful? A world with the humans at our mercy." Adam stated, gesturing to his soldiers.

"Please, I beg of you, don't hurt her. Leave her be. Kill me instead." Petey pleaded.

Adam ignored his cousin and turned his attention to Ruby, who was weakly trying to escape from his grasp.

"I want you to know how pathetic I think you are. If you couldn't even best me, you don't deserve to live, nor does my weakling of a cousin. But worry not, human. You will be joined by those children of yours. I have already seen to it that they be killed. They are DEAD!"

Ruby's heart sank and her eyes widened at this revelation. She felt something building up inside her, ready to be released.

"No. No! NO, NO, NO! **_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_** "

Powerful beams of blinding silver light erupted from her eyes and engulfed the entire room. When they cleared, everyone in the room, minus Petey, Ruby, and Adam had been transformed into a motionless statue. Adam had been pushed back by the powerful blast while Petey looked on in bewilderment at finally seeing the power of Ruby's silver eyes be unleashed.

Ruby slowly got to her feet and turned to face Adam. Her eyes were still glowing a bright silver and she had a silver glow about her.

Adam slowly got up and looked at Ruby. Once he faced her, his eyes widened in surprise, before returning to its normal angry expression. He grabbed his sword and charged at her again. Ruby didn't budge even as she saw Adam approaching her.

"Ruby, look out!" Petey shouted, even though she didn't move.

Adam swung his sword right at her eyes. But upon contact, the blade shattered to pieces and created a shockwave that sent Adam back several feet. Ruby didn't even flinch at the attack.

Ruby faced Adam again, and began walking toward him, but stumbled due to the injury in her knee. She looked at the wound, and shot beams of silver from her eyes at her leg, and the wound instantly healed. She then continued slowly walking toward Adam.

Adam scrambled to his gun and pointed it at Ruby. However, before he could fire it, Ruby again shot bright beams of silver at Adam. The beams hit Adam's hand, completely disintegrating his gun as well as his hand up to the wrist. Adam then clutched his missing limb in pain.

" _That was for my sister._ " Ruby stated.

Adam got up and got into a position to fight Ruby hand to hand. Ruby responded by activating her semblance, turning into a flurry of silver rose petals, and charged at Adam at twice her normal speed. She ran right into Adam, and the impact sent Adam flying across the room, creating a large dent in the wall once he made contact.

" _That was for my friend, Weiss._ " Ruby said.

Adam peeled from the wall and fell to the ground. He then got to his feet and ran toward her. Once he got to her, he tried to punch her with his non-existent hand. Ruby simply grabbed what was left of his wrist and threw him to the ground. She then took a few steps back, and ran at him with her semblance. Once the flurry of silver rose petals that was Ruby reached Adam, she delivered a hard kick to Adam's side. He tumbled across the floor until crashing into the opposite wall.

" _That was for Blake and all of the torment you put her through._ " The silver-eyed Huntress stated.

Adam rose from the ground once again to continue the fight he was badly losing. He looked directly at Ruby, her eyes still glowing a bright silver.

Ruby charged at him again, erupting into silver rose petals. Adam weakly tried punching her, but was unable to keep up with her incredible speed and punched at thin air. The silver petal flurry split into four separate flurries, with each one flying behind Adam before reforming into one large flurry. Ruby then emerged from the flurry and delivered a roundhouse kick to Adam's back.

Adam was sent tumbling across the floor again after Ruby's attack. The red clad Huntress used her semblance to race past Adam as he was still rolling across the floor. She came to a stop directly in Adam's path. She then stopped Adam right in front of her with her foot. She then lifted Adam up by the collar of his trench coat.

" _And this is for all the other innocent people you've hurt._ " Ruby whispered to him.

Using incredible strength, Ruby threw Adam into the air and blasted him with bright beams of silver from her eyes.

Adam screamed in pain as the power of Ruby's silver eyes engulfed him. After about 10 seconds of being bombarded by the silver beams, they disappeared, and Adam fell to the ground, right at Petey's feet.

Petey gazed upon his cousin and was shocked by what he saw.

Much of Adam's clothes had been ripped away, leaving him in tatters. A great deal of his exposed skin was covered in serious burns. Most of his hair had been burned off, and one of his bull horns had been completely blasted away. Adam attempted to get up, but his injuries prevented him from getting very far off the ground. All he could do is slump back to the ground and groan in agony.

"Look how the mighty have fallen. Tell me, who is the pathetic one now?" Petey taunted.

Adam refused to dignify that with a response, choosing only to glare at his Dog Faunus cousin.

"I assume you are aware of what is to come next?" Petey asked.

"You're going to hand me over to the authorities, aren't you? That is the righteous path of you Huntsmen. No matter, my stay in prison will be a brief one. Once I am free of those confining walls, I will see that you suffer a fate…" Adam started.

"Yes, yes, yes, I know. Please save your dramatic villain speech for an audience more willing to listen. Until then, it is time for… What the…?! Ruby, what are you doing?!" Petey shouted.

While Petey and Adam were talking, Ruby, her eyes still glowing, had grabbed what was left of Adam's sword, which was just the handle with a few jagged bits of blade left on it, and pointed it at Adam's throat.

" _I'm going to kill him. He cannot avoid punishment forever._ " Ruby stated.

"Are you mad?! This isn't like you, Ruby! This isn't the right thing to do! Killing for vengeance is not the course of action to take!" Petey argued.

" _I feel more like myself than ever, Petey. Weak and horrible animals like him deserve to die. I'm going to rid the world of this menace by soaking the floor with his blood._ " Ruby continued.

"This isn't right! This is not who you are, Ruby! The Ruby I know and love would never do such a thing! What's wrong with you?!"

" _What's wrong with you? You constantly said that you would kill him during the fight. Help me finish him off._ "

"You know I never mean what I say when I succumb to my instincts. Please, Ruby, show restraint, mercy!"

" _People like him don't deserve mercy. Especially after everything he's done. All the people he's hurt, maimed, and killed. You didn't hear what he said to me about Koutavi and Stene._ "

"I-I heard it. And I will never forgive him for taking their lives, but…"

" _Then you know he has what's coming to him. He took my children from me. I cannot let that go unpunished._ "

"Ruby, they were my children, too. But killing for revenge isn't right. This won't fix anything. Please, return to your senses!"

" _If you can't see that this is the right thing to do, then you are just as weak as he is, Lucenay. Just as pathetic and sad._ "

"You don't mean that Ruby, I know you don't! Please, don't do this. If you strike him down in malice and anger, for no legitimate reason, you're no better than he is. No better than _she_ was. Don't be like her. Don't be like your mother. Do not turn out like Salem!" Petey pleaded.

* * *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

 _Kill him. He deserves to die._

 **No, don't! This isn't who you are, Ruby.**

 _Of course it is! You want this, don't you Ruby? You want him to pay for everything. Make all the others like him pay for everything._

 **Even if he is a monster, this isn't the right thing to do. You're a Huntress, not an executioner.**

 _What's the difference? Sometimes you have to kill so that others can live. You have to kill all the bad guys. You want to._

 **No, you don't! You made a vow to protect life, not take it away.**

 _He took your children from you. Doesn't he deserve to die for that?_

 **No, he doesn't. Petey's right, he can never be forgiven, but killing out of vengeance won't solve anything. You'll just create another monster.**

 _Maybe being a monster is what must be done. You'll be stronger. With your kind of power, you'll be the strongest of all._

 **You made a promise as a little girl to use your powers for good. With your kind of power, imagine how many people you could save.**

 _You could rule the world with the incredible power you possess. Imagine the possibilities!_

 **But at what cost? You would lose everything you have. Your husband, your daughter, your family, all gone! It's like Petey said, if you do this, you'd be no better than Salem. You would have it all, but you would have nothing.**

I-I don't want to be like Salem. She never loved anything, even me.

 _NO! Power is all that matters. You could have whatever you want. ANYTHING!_

 **You already have everything you want. A wonderful family, loving friends, a great career as a Huntress, and so much more. Are you willing to throw all that away just out of revenge?**

 _You know what you must do._

 **You know what you must do.**

I… I…

…

I won't do it. I won't kill him.

* _Ruby's eyes return to normal_ *

"No. Not like this. I won't end it this way."

"Ruby? Is that you? Are you alright?"

Petey! I owe him an apology, big time!

"Oh, Petey! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean any of that! * _sniff_ * I was just, so angry because of what he did. I almost made a terrible mistake! * _hic_ * Please forgive me! * _sob_ *"

"You are forgiven, Ruby. I hold no ill will against you. I suppose it's true what people say: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I never imagined that the power within your eyes would hold such horrible temptation. Nevertheless, you managed to beat the corruption, I'm so proud of you, my dearest. I promise I will find a way to help you control it, one day."

He's such a nice person. I don't deserve someone like him. But, I got him, somehow. I'm the luckiest girl alive.

"So, you were too weak to finish the job. You humans are all the same. Pathetic."

Oh yeah, he's still here. Someone needs to shut him up. I'm trying to have a tender moment with my husband here.

"Petey, could you shut him up for me? Please?"

"Gladly, my dearest."

* **WHACK** *

OUCH! That looked painful.

"There, that should silence him for a decent stretch of time."

Well, now that he's taken care of, what should we do now?

"Well, Ruby, I believe our only remaining course of action is to… retrieve their bodies… so that we may give them a proper funeral."

'Them'? Who is he…? Oh. M-my puppies. * _sniff_ * Adam said that they were… they're… * _sob_ *

* _baby cries_ *

Wait, what is that? Is it possible that…? Can… can it be!? Is that what that noise is?!

They're alive!?

"Ruby?! Ruby, where are you!?"

"Yang! Yang, I'm in here!"

Please tell me my mind isn't playing tricks on me. PLEASE!

"We found them! Weiss and I found them! We found…"

"MY BABIES!"

* _runs and grabs Koutavi_ *

"Oh, my baby boy! It's ok, it's alright! Mommy's here! Mommy's got you! Oh my goodness, you're so hurt! What did they do to you? It's alright, mommy will make it all better, I promise. I promise that you'll be alright. I missed you so much, my sweet little puppy."

* * *

* _Petey's P.O.V_ *

* _grabs Stene_ *

"My darling daughter, thank Monty Oum you're alive. But, gracious! Look at these injuries! What have these foul people done to you and your brother? It's alright, my dearest. I swear to you that you'll be alright. You will recover."

What manner of injuries have they sustained? Oh my, this is not good. How could anyone willingly do such things to mere infants?

"Petey, how's Stene? How hurt is she?"

"Very much so, I'm afraid. Her injuries appear to be extensive. She's covered head to toe with gruesome looking bruises and gashes, one of her legs is completely broken, and… oh my, much of the fur on her tail is gone. I can only hope it will grow back. How does Koutavi fare?"

"He's no better. He's also got lots of cuts and bruises, two black eyes, a broken arm, and most of his hair is missing."

Horrid Red Fang savages. How could they do such things to mere infants? What is there to gain in delivering unto them such injuries? Was it meant to make them stronger? Their logic is incredibly flawed.

"At least they are alive. With the proper medical treatment, I believe they will recover."

"Yeah, you're right, Petey. Yang, Weiss, thank you so so much for finding them! I thought they were gone forever!"

Indeed, Adam did state that they were already deceased. How dis Weiss and Yang get to them alive?

"Yes, we were lucky we got to them when we did. These Red Fang soldiers were just about to kil…"

"NO! Stop! Please don't say that word, Weiss. I can't bear to think about my puppies being de… dea… I don't wanna think about it!"

So they managed to intercept the Red Fang before they could carry out Adam's heinous orders, did they? I'm so glad they made it in time.

"Hold on, is that Adam? What the hell happened to him? I was hoping to get back at him for what he did to my arm, but it doesn't look like there's much left for me to do to him."

Of course Yang would be the type to seek revenge for actions of the past, even if Adam had it coming.

"Just leave him be, Yang. He's not worth it. He never was worth anything."

"Also, look at his right arm, Yang."

"Hmm? Oh! Did you do that, Ruby?"

"Yep, and I even let him know that that was specifically for you."

"Aww, thanks, sis!"

It feels strange, someone being thankful for the act of mutilation against another person. Very strange indeed.

* _Blake and Sun enter_ *

"So, this is where everyone is. Did you guys find your kids?"

"Indeed, we did, Sun."

"Alright! Way to go, guys. Isn't this awesome, Blake? Blake?"

What could she possibly be looking at? Oh yes, Adam. She claims to have known him once. Who knows what vexatious thoughts are going through her head right now?

"Is this Adam?"

"Indeed, it is."

"Is he… dead?"

"No, merely unconscious."

"Well, if he's still alive, there's only one thing left to do to him."

"What would that be, Sun?"

"Come on in, boys!"

* _multiple cops storm the room_ *

What the?! Where did all these police officers come from?!

"I told you guys a long time ago, you should always get friends involved. Especially when a lot of those friends happen to be fellow cops. They've been trailing us since we arrived in Mistral. I had them storm the place once we lost communication with each other."

Quite an interesting philosophy Sun has. Personally, I'd prefer to keep all my closest friends out of harm's way if it is within my power. Then again, all of my closest friends do seem capable of defending themselves.

Uh oh. It appears Adam is regaining consciousness.

"Ugh. What happened to me? Is that…? Blake! So, you've finally revealed yourself to me, my love. It's time to… What…? Hey! Release me! Got your hands off me, humans!"

"Adam Taurus, on the charges of kidnapping, terrorism, murder, and various other crimes I don't really feel like reciting, you are under arrest! Get him out of here."

"Yes, Detective Wukong."

"NO! Get off of me, now! I will not be defeated so easily. You will pay dearly for your insolence. Especially you, Blake. You will suffer greatly once I am free. Do you hear me, my darling?"

"…Goodbye, Adam."

"That's what you think. But this is far from over. This is not the end. This is not over, Petey!"

"Oh, but I do believe it is, Adam. Ruby and I might have decided to show restraint, but I sincerely doubt the same can be said for the Vale justice system. You're going to pay for everything you've done, Taurus. Farewell, dear cousin."

At long last, the nightmare is over. He shall not plague anyone ever again.

"What should we do now, Petey?"

"Well Ruby, I believe the best course of action would be to escort Koutavi and Stene to some manner of medical facility so that their wounds might be treated. Let us be off."

* * *

* _one month later, Lucenay household_ *

* _Ruby's P.O.V_ *

Wow, what a great day. All my puppies are so happy and playful, as usual. And if what the doctor said last week was true, then soon enough, they'll all be perfectly healthy as well. I hope we can get those casts off of Koutavi and Stene soon. Oh well, at least their hair and fur have started growing bake nicely. I'm so glad they can still play with each other and Cucciolo just like before.

I wonder if there's anything good on TV right now. Let's see.

* _turns on TV_ *

" _Recent reports have confirmed that the birth rate of Grimm is slowly declining. They are currently at the lowest levels they've ever been at in all of recorded history. Scientists claim that it will likely be several hundred years, but the day may come when the Grimm finally go completely extinct._ "

Well, at least the local news can give me some interesting stories.

" _In other news, the trial of Adam Taurus concluded yesterday, after less than a month of debate amongst the jury. Adam was well known as a former high-ranking member of the White Fang, and the leader of its reincarnation, the Red Fang. He was captured a month ago by members of Vale's police force, with the help of an esteemed group of Huntsmen and Huntresses. Adam has been found guilty on all charges and has been sentenced to death. We now take you live to downtown Vale, where Adam is due to be publicly executed today. My associate, Cyril Ian is on the scene. Cyril?_ "

" _Thanks, Lisa. I'm here live in downtown Vale, where a large group of both humans and Faunus have gathered to watch the execution. The police truck delivering Adam is due to arrive any minute now, and… Oh, hold on, it just arrived. Alright, there's Adam. He seems to be awfully quiet. I wonder what's going through his head right now. I guess all we can do now is wait and see what happens._ "

I wonder how exactly they're going to kill him. I hope it's not too violent. Wait, what is that thing for? Hold on, are they…?

SWEET MONTY OUM ABOVE! That was horrible! Why'd they have to kill him like that?! That was disgusting! So much blood! Yuck! Couldn't they have at least made it a somewhat clean cut, instead of… what I just saw? That's going to haunt my nightmares for weeks! I think that's enough TV for today.

Well, what's done is done. He won't hurt anyone ever again. Not me, not my husband, not my puppies, not my family, not my friends, no one. He's gone. Maybe now I can stop worrying about my puppies being hurt.

"I just want you guys to know that I love you. Mommy loves all three of her precious puppies. Come here so I can give you all some love!"

I'm surrounded by the best kids in all of Remnant. The only way this would be better is if…

* _door opens_ *

… he was here.

"Hi, Petey!"

"Hello, my beloved wife. How has your day been?"

* _passionate kiss_ *

"Much better, now that you're here. I love you."

"I love you too, Ruby. And I always will."

"Well, come and sit with us. We'd love to have the whole family together."

"So tell me, my dear, how goes the reconstruction of your weapon?"

"Pretty good. Just another week, and Crescent Rose, Mark II will be ready for action!"

"That's stupendous news, Ruby. I must thank you again for helping me to repair my own weapon. Thanks to you, it looks and handles as resplendent as ever."

I'm so glad he likes what I did with his flail. I was worried he wouldn't like the upgrades I made, but he seems happy with it.

"You're welcome. But before we keep talking weapons, I think there are three more people who want to hear you say you love them."

"Of course. I love all of my dear children. I love you all so much. Much more than words could possibly convey."

"I love you all, too. Koutavi, Cucciolo, Stene, we both love all of you so much. Your daddy and mommy both love you."

Wait, why is Stene just looking at us like that? Is she about to have a dirty diaper? Uh oh. Is she about to be sick?

"…Mmm…mmh… mhm… meh…"

"Stene? Stene are you ok? Are you about to be sick, baby? What do you think is happening, Petey?"

"I cannot be certain. She may be getting sick. However, it appears she is attempting to… do something. What this 'something' could potentially be, I am entirely uncertain of, Ruby."

Please don't be sick. Please don't be sick!

"Meh… meeh… mii…. maah… moh… mo… mo… mo…mmy."

Wait a second, did she just say…?

" _Mommy!_ "

* * *

 **Well, that's it, folks. It's done. It's finally done.**

 **One thing you should know about me is that I don't really like killing off main characters in my stories. That's why I kept Koutavi and Stene alive. I especially hate the idea of killing off infants. What sort of sick bastard do you think I am?**

 **Another reason it ended like that is because I seem to have a thing for starting and ending my stories with the same word. Seriously, go back and look. I did the same thing with _Time with a Sun Dragon._ Although, I have a different idea for how I'm going to start and end my next story.**

 **Speaking of, some of you might be wondering what I plan on doing next, now that this story's over. Well…**

 **I think I'm going to take a break from RWBY storied for a while. I want to focus on a couple other projects, as well as my personal life. But once both of those are out of the way, I shall make a triumphant return to the RWBY fandom. I already have another story idea in mind involving everybody's favorite 'combat ready' robot girl. However, that is currently number three in my list of upcoming stories. Not sure when it will come, but it will at some point or another.**

 **In conclusion, thank you very much for sticking with me to the very end. I hope you liked the conclusion, as well as the whole story in general. If you did, please let me know. I greatly enjoy reviews, as long as they are positive. Please no hateful or negative reviews.**

 **So, until my next story, thanks again for reading this one, and I hope to be seeing you on my future projects. This is Needs a Better Username, over and out. Goodbye.**


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